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

194 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

theFarEast.Isitreallyinthenationalinterest,theyask,fortheUnited
StatestobeatthecenterofnegotiationsbetweentheSouthKoreans,the
NorthKoreans,thejapanese,andtheChineseoverNorthKorea'sdevel-
opmentofa missileprogram?
Thisisessentiallytheargumentthatjeffersonianopponentsofa large
andintrusivefederalgovernmentmakeindomesticpolicy.Isa givenfed-
eralprogramorregulationreallynecessary?Willthebenefitstrulyout-
weighthecosts?Doweinanycasewanttoseethefederalgovernment
growingcontinuallylargerandmorepowerful?
jeffersonianskepticismaboutthemeritsofanactiveforeignpolicy
haslibertarianroots,andmorethananyoftheotherschools,jeffersoni-
anshaveconsistentlytriedtoensurethatthesameanti-big-government
logicthatissooftensopowerfulindomesticpoliticsbeextendedtothe
conductofthenation'sforeignpolicy.

EconomyofMeans

HavingdefinedAmericaninterestsasnarrowlyaspossible,jeffersoni-

ansthenseektoservethemas economicallyaspossible.Thisispartly

aboutmoney.Adollarnotspentonthemilitaryordiplomaticestab-

lishments is a dollarnottaxedfromAmericancitizens, a dollarnot

devotedtotheprojectsofa centralizinggovernment,anda dollarthat

can'tbespentbythedominantpoliticalpartyoncorruptcontractsand

sweetheartdealsthatcementitsholdonpower.jeffersonianpoliticians

wanttoseedefenseanddiplomaticexpenseskeptlow,andtheywant

State Departmentandmilitaryaccountscarefully keptandregularly

scrutinized.

Butjeffersonianparsimonyisaboutmorethansavingtaxpayermoney.

jeffersonianshaveimposedqualitativeaswellasquantitativerestrictions

onU.S.militaryanddiplomaticestablishments.

Oncejeffersoniansconcededthata standingarmyanda defensive

navywerenecessary,theydidtheirbesttokeepbothoftheseinstitutions

ashumbleandasclosetothepeopleaspossible.Professionalcareersol-

diersinthefederalserviceweresuspect;militaryacademiesevenmore

so. In 1830 CongressmanDavyCrockettofTennesseedenouncedthe

U.S. MilitaryAcademyatWestPoint,notingthatitsgraduateswere

"toodelicate"formilitaryservice,unlikethehardysonsofthewestern

soil.Wastheacademybeingproperlymanaged,Crockettasked:"Iwant