Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

r86 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

Thesedangersthatthejeffersoniansforesawfromthebeginningand
sought towardoffwere, toa largeextent,unavoidable. Theworld
intrudesonuswhetherwelikeitornot.Enlightenedjeffersonianshave
alwaysthereforeknownthatrealisolationis impossible;thetaskoffor-
eignpolicyastheyseeitistomanagetheunavoidableAmericaninvolve-
mentintheworldwiththeleastpossibleriskandcost.Unliketheother
majorschools,thejeffersoniansarealwaysbracedtochooseamongevils.
Governmentitselfis a necessaryeviltothejeffersonianmind.Thesame
thingistrueaboutforeignpolicy:Wewouldbemuchbetteroffifwe
didn'thavetohaveoneatall.Asitis,jeffersoniansbelieve,wewillbear
whatwemustwhileavoidingwhatwemay.Sincewemusthavea foreign
policyofsomekind,letusfindonethatdoestheleastpossibledamageto
ourdemocraticinstitutions.
Somemightcallthisanisolationistattitude,andisolationhasalways
beenanattractivealternativetothejeffersonianmind,butweshould
recognizethatitproceedsnotoutofanignorantandostrichlikesenseof
thenation'sindestructibility,butratheroutofa keen,aching,andeven
morbidsensitivityabout theexquisitevulnerabilityoftheAmerican
experimenttotheconsequencesofdevelopmentsoverseas.

TheAvoidanceofWar

Warwas thefirst and greatesteviljeffersonians soughttoavoid.

jeffersongenuinelyhatedandfearedit,"asmuchapunishmenttothe

punisherastothesufferer."6Warwasnotdetestableonlybecauseofthe

casualtiesitcausedorthehatredsitfomentedbutalsobecauseitthreat-

enedtoundermineAmericandemocracyathome.Frequentparticipa-

tioninmajorinternationalwarswould,theearlyjeffersoniansbelieved,

pose-winorlose-amajorthreattoAmericanliberties.Warscostmoney,

pilingupdebtsthatconcentratedpowerinthecentralgovernmentand

forced mostofthepopulationtolaborandpaytaxes tosupportthe

minoritythatownedthegovernmentbondsissuedtocoverthedebt;

warsbuiltupa concentratedeconomicandpoliticalmachinerydepend-

entongovernmentfunds, addictedtosecrecy,andwitha permanent

interestindiscovering evernewdangers abroad; theyalsomade the

developmentofstrongstandingarmiesandnaviesinevitable,a develop-

mentthat,historically,hasoftenbeenfataltorepublicanliberty.

Thoughjeffersonianthinkingabouttheeconomicdangersofwarhas