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

248 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

soniantraditiontheUnitedStateswouldbehard-pressedtomaintainthe
kindofinternationalmilitarypresenceitnowhas.

Pessimism

WhileinmanywaysJacksonianshaveanoptimisticoutlook,thereis
a largeandimportantsenseinwhichtheyarepessimistic.Whateverthe
theologicalviews ofindividualJacksonians, theirculturebelievesin
originalsinanddoesnotaccepttheEnlightenment'sbeliefintheper-
fectibilityofhumannature.
Asa corollaryJacksoniansarepremillennialist;theydonotbelieve
thatutopiais justaroundthecorner. Infacttheytendtobelievethe
opposite: thattheAntichristwillgetherebeforeJesusdoes,andthat
humanhistorywillendincatastropheandflames,followedbytheDayof
Judgment.
Thisisnoidletheologicalconcept.Beliefintheapproachofthe"end
times"andthe"greattribulation,"conceptsrootedincertaininterpreta-
tionsofJewishandChristianprophetictexts,hasbeena powerfulforce
inAmericanlifefromcolonialtimes.TodaytensofmillionsofAmeri-
cansbelievethattheestablishmentoftheStateofIsraelbeganthecount-
downtowardArmageddon.Tensofmillionsmoremaynotsharethis
specificinterpretationoftheHolyBooks,buttheyacceptthegeneral
historicalframework:thatneitherWilsoniansnorHamiltoniansnorany-
bodyelsewilleversucceedinbuildinga peacefulworldorder,andthat
theonlyworldorderwearelikelytogetwillbebad.
Thishasmanyimplications.Itdeepenstheskepticismwithwhich
muchoftheAmericanpublicreceivesproposalsfordo-goodingforeign
aidgrantstointernationalfinancialagenciesanddevelopingcountries.
Nomatterhowmuchmoneyweshipoverseas,andhowcleverlythe
developmentbureaucratsspendit,itwon'tcreatepeaceon earth.Plans
foruniversaldisarmamentandworldcourtsofjusticefounderonthe
samerockofhistoricalskepticism.Jacksoniansjusttendtothinknoneof
thesethingswilldoanygood.
Infacttheythinktheymaydoharm.Linkedtotheskepticismabout
humanimitationsoftheKingdomofGodisa deepapprehensionabout
theriseofanevilworldorder.Intheologicalterms,thisisexpressedasa
fearoftheAntichrist,who,manycommentatorsaffirm,isenvisagedin
Scriptureascomingwiththeappearanceofanangeloflight-perhapsa