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

278 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

Servicesarethecuttingedgeof theneweconomy,whilebothmanufac-
turingandagriculturehavelesscapacityforlong-termgrowth.Certainly
theAmericaneconomywasbigger,stronger,andbetterpositionedfor
thefuturein 2000 thanithadbeentenyearsearlier.Evenso,thediffer-
entialimpactofthepolicyondifferentregionsandonworkerswithdif-
ferentlevelsofeducationstillhelpsexplainwhypoliticaloppositionto
U.S. tradepolicyremainedsostrongduringthelongeconomicexpan-
sionof the1990s.Thusa PewCentersurveyonpublicopinioninFebru-
ary 2000 showed that while 64 percent ofrespondents supported
Americaneffortsinsupportof"freetradewithothercountries," 78 per-
centfeltthat"protectingthejobsofAmericanworkers"shouldbethe
toppriorityintheseefforts.I 9
By 2000, globalizationhad become politically unpopular in the
UnitedStates,yetfurtherregionalandworldprogresstowardanopen,
law-based international economic system would require continuing
strongAmericanleadership.Hamiltonianswerepassionatelycommitted
tothe need forAmericanleadershipbutencounteredenormous and
apparentlygrowingdifficulties ingainingthenecessarycongressional
andpoliticalsupportforcoreHamiltonianinitiatives.
AnadditionalproblemforHamiltoniansduringthelastthirdofthe
twentiethcenturycamefromtheimpactofeconomicchangeonthebusi-
nessleadershipoftheUnitedStates.Themidcenturybusinesselite,made
upofrelativelystablelargecorporations,believedthatit wasnaruraland
necessaryforitsleadershiptoexercisecivicandpoliticalleadershipas
well.Atthelocallevel,corporatephilanthropyunderwrotesymphony
orchestras and other worthy cultural endeavors; nationally business
workedcloselywiththefederalgovernment.
Butastheeconomicandfinancialturmoilofthelastthirdofthecen-
ruryincreasinglymadeitselffelt,businessleadershipchanged.Managers
werenolongersecureontheirperchesina newworldofhostilecorporate
takeovers.ManycompaniesandtheirCEOsnolongerfeltabletoplay
thesamekindofleadershiproleinsociety;corporatephilanthropysur-
vived,andtotalgivinginsomecasesgrew,butgivinghad nowtobe
linkedmoredirectlytospecificconcernsandinterestsofa givencom-
pany. Patterns ofcorporate employment changed as well; managers
increasinglysawthemselvesasindividualsratherthanasmembersofa
broadercorporatecommunity.
Allthis madebusiness leadershiplessableandwillingtolookat
policyfromtheperspectiveofsocietyasa whole;thepolicyfocusofthe