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

ChapterNine

THE FUTURE OF

AMERICAN

FOREIGN POLICY

AnAnatomyofProvidence

E

arlierI suggestedthatthespecialprovidenceshapingAmerican
foreignpolicyforsuccessborethefingerprintsofAdamSmith's
invisiblehand.Theendless,unplannedstruggleamongtheschoolsand
lobbiestoshapeAmericanforeignpolicyendedupproducingoverthe
longruna foreignpolicythatmorecloselyapproximatedthetrueneeds
andinterestsofAmericansocietythancouldanyconsciousdesign.Fisher
Ames'smetaphorworksforforeignpolicyaswellasdomestic;therepub-
licanraftwallowsaheadevenasthesuperblyfittedmonarchicalandaris-
tocraticmerchantshipssailonmagnificently-untiltheystrikea rock
andsink.
Thisis a structuralargumentaboutdemocraticgovernance,suggest-
ingthattheadvantagesofdemocraticgovernmentapplyininternational
affairsaswellasindomesticones.ItisastrueforcountrieslikeGermany
andJapanasitisfortheU ni tedStates,andcertainlyinboththosecases
andmanyothersa shifttodemocracyathomehasproducedmuchhap-
pierresultsinforeignaffairs.
Butthegoodluckor,forthosewhoprefer,theprovidentialblessings
oftheUnitedStatesgofurther.Wearefortunatenotjustinhavinga
democraticformofgovernmentandfederalandconstitutionalstructures