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

270 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

theGulfWarwasnotassatisfactoryasthewaritself.Thewarendedwith
SaddamstillinpowerandtheUnitedStatestrappedintheveryuncom-
fortablepositionofseeking,long-term,thedoublecontainmentofboth
IranandIraq.Thiswasthebeginningofa decade-longprocessofeduca-
tionforHamiltoniansandWilsonians,inwhich bothgroupsslowly
learnedthatwhiletherewerefewabstractlimitsonAmericanpowerin
thepost-ColdWarworld,thereweresharpandevencripplinglimits
ontheforeignpolicyestablishment'sabilitytocommandpublicand
congressionalsupportat home.As thecostsand complexitiesofthe
HamiltonianandWilsonianagendasweremoreclearlyunderstood,wide
gapsbegantoopenwithintheglobalistconsensus, further reducing
theabilityofeitherschooltopursuea vigorousandconsistentagenda.

CrownofThornsI:HamiltonianStruggles

Hamiltoniansbeganthe1990Sina stateclosetoeuphoria,launched
intoanextraordinaryandcreativeperiodofpolicyinitiativesandinstitu-
tionbuilding,andthenspentthedecadelearningthelimitsoftheir
ability toachieve theirmostcherished goals.Althoughsomeofthe
Hamiltonianoptimismin 1990 may,inhindsight,lookprematureor
excessive,thereisnodoubtthatthepost-ColdWarworldwasfarmore
favorabletobasicHamiltonianhopesthantheworldhadbeeninmany
years.
Lookingacrosstheworldin1990,Hamiltoniansverynaturallyfelt
thattheirhourhadcome. TheCommunistworldhadcollapsed.The
developingworldwasmoreopenthaneverbeforetothegospelsoffree
tradeandfreemarkets.Thesocialdemocraticalternativetoliberalcapi-
talismwasclearlyboggingdown;Anglo-Americancapitalismandcapi-
talist orderenjoyed a degreeofeconomic, cultural, and intellectual
hegemonywithoutanyrealprecedentaroundtheworld.
Surelythetime wasripe for thecreationofaHamiltonianworld
orderbasedonopentrade,fiscalresponsibility,andliberalfinance.The
WorldBankandtheIMPcouldbestrengthenedandinvigorated;the
gapsremainingintheoldBrettonWoodsframeworkofinternational
institutions-chiefamongthem,theabsenceofapermanentinterna-
tionaltradeorganization--couldfinallybefilledin.Thecreationofa
market-orientedinternationalsystemofcommerce,finance, andtrade
becamethekeystoneofHamiltonianpolicy.Regionaltradeagreements