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

TheRiseandRetreatof theNewWorldOrder 283

builta modeloftheStatueofLiberty;asTaiwanmovedtowardgenuine
multipartydemocracy-Wilsonianscelebrateda springtimeofthepeo-
plesmorewidespreadandfarmorepromisingthantheEuropeanrevolu-
tionarymovementsof1830, 1848,or1918.
FascismandCommunismalikehadcollapsed.Freepoliticalsystems
werespreadingacrosstheworld.Internationalinstitutionsparalyzedby
theColdWarbegantorevive: A democraticRussiatooktheSoviet
Union'soldseatontheSecurityCouncil,andinitiallyshowedsignsof
joininga democraticbloconthatbody.
Therehadneverbeenanythingquitelikethisworldwidefloweringof
freedom. TheUnitedStates,thevictorintheColdWar,hadseenits
principlestriumphonceagainovera dictatorialenemy;theprestigeof
Americandemocracyhadneverbeenhigher.ToWilsoniansthemeaning
wasclear:ThetimehadcomefortheUnitedStatestoadvanceresolutely
towardtheestablishmentandconsolidationofa democraticpeaceina
democraticworld.
As free marketsand free governmentsspread through theworld,
broughtinbythespontaneousfree choicesofmoreandmoreofthe
world's peoples,WilsoniansbelievedthattheyandtheHamiltonians
could,should,andwouldworkhandinhandtoextendthedomainof
freedom.Providingtechnicalassistance,economicaid,and,occasionally,
diplomaticsupport,theUnitedStateswouldleadthisworldwiderevolu-
tion,subduetheoccasionalroguestate,andconsolidatewhatFrancis
Fukuyama,followingtheGermanphilosopherG.W.F.Hegel,calledthe
endofhistory.
Inspiredandchallenged bythishistoricalopportunity,Wilsonians
setouttotakefulladvantageofthedemocraticopening.Whilecontinu-
inglong-termeffortstoincreaseAmericanforeign aidtodeveloping
countriesandtoimprovethelotofrefugees,Wilsoniansrespondedtothe
endoftheColdWarwitha sevenfoldprogramaimedata transformation
ofinternationallifeevenmoresweepingandrevolutionarythanthepro-
gramWilsonhimselfhadbroughttoParisdecadesbefore.
First,theywantedtoassistthetransitionoftheoldSovietUnionand
itsformerEuropeansatellitestowardfull,stabledemocracy.Second,they
wantedtocompletetheroutofcommunismandseethegrowthofdemo-
craticregimesinAsia,startingwithChina.Third,theysoughttocon-
solidatetheshiftinLatinAmericaawayfrommilitaryregimestowardat
leastformaldemocracy,andtheywantedtodeependemocraticinstitu-
tions intheregion. Fourth,WilsonianshopedtoassistSouthAfrica's