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

298 SPECIALPR.OVIDENCE

theendoftheColdWarreducedtheneedfortradeandeconomicpolicy
concessionstoAsianexportpowerslikeKoreaandJapan.
Jeffersoniandissentalonewouldnothaveslowedtheglobalistjug-
gernaut.TheAmericanforeignpolicyprocesswasrelativelycomfortable
withJeffersoniandissent.AsColdWardoves,Jeffersonianshadcontinu-
allysoughttolimitthenation'sforeigncommitments,promotemulti-
lateraloverunilateralapproaches,andsubstitutepatienceanddiplomacy
fortheresorttoarms.Jeffersonianshadnotbeenuninfluentialduringthe
ColdWar,butgenerallytheirinfluencewasfeltatthemarginofpolicy
andmanifestedbyrelativelysubtlechangesinemphasisanddesign.
HadJeffersoniansbeentheonlyschooltodissentfromthepost-Cold
Warglobalistcoalition,theeffectonu.s.policywouldhavebeensmall.
However,thegradualbutultimatelysteepandsustaineddeclinein Jack-
soniansupportforthepoliticalandeconomicunderpinningsoftheU.S.-
sponsoredworldorderrepresentedamuchmoreseriouschallengetothe
globalists.
FromthestandpointofAmericanhistory,themostunusualandSig-
nificantfearureoftheColdWarconsensus wasthatthetraditionally
nationalist,ifnotisolationist,Jacksonianschoolspentfortyyearsendors-
ingandsupportinganambitiousglobalagenda.After 1989 thatsupport
begantodwindle.
Thiswas bynomeansa returntotheisolationismoftheinterwar
period.Itdidnotrepresenta lackofsupportforeithera strongmilitary
ormilitaryalliancesseenasenhancingnationalsecurity.However,when
itcametosuchmattersasUNdues,foreignaid,signingorratifying
internationalconventionsonsuchissuesaslandminebans,child-soldier
recruiting,theComprehensiveTestBanTreatyandvariousInternational
Labour Organisation labor rights conventions, proponents suddenly
facedenormouscongressionalobstacles.Tradeliberalizationalsoproved
problematic;afterstrikingvictoriesonratificationofNAFTAandthe
UruguayRoundtradeagreement,establishingtheWorldTradeOrgani-
zation,theClintonadministrationwasunabletowinfast-trackauthority
forfururetradenegotiations,andbothpollingandpoliticaldatapointed
tofallingsupportforfreetrade.
Fordifferentreasonsbothoftheoppositionschoolswereina poor
positiontoshapeAmericanforeignpolicyintheearlynineties.Jefferso-
nianshadwarnedthatReagan'spolicyofideologicalconfrontationwith
theSovietUnionwouldleadtoa newandunendingColdWar.Inthe
late1980smanyJeffersonianshadconvincedthemselvesthatAmerican