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

TheFutureof AmericanForeignPolicy 3 I I

ensuringthatmanyvoicesareheardinourprocess;wearefortunatein
thepoliticalculturethatinformsourdemocraticsociety.Eachofthefour
schools that togetherrepresent the American foreign policy debate
makesdistinctcontributionstonationalpower,andeachiswellmatched
withtheothers--capableofcomplementingoneanotherandofflexibly
combininginmanywaystomeetchangingcircumstances.
Eachofthefourschoolshasmadedistinctcontributionstonational
power,bothbybuildingupthepowerandcohesionofAmericansociety
and by providingthenationwithbothhardandsoftpowerabroad.
Admirableaseachoftheschoolsis,however,allofthemarelimited.We
arebetteroffwithfourofthemthanwewouldbewithanyoneofthem
onitsown.Lefttoitself,eachschoolwouldpressitsinsightstoofar,
alienatingimportantdomesticinterestgroupsandeithermissingoppor-
tunitiesortakingunnecessaryrisksabroad.
Asitis,oneofthechiefadvantagesofhavingfourdominantschools
ratherthanoneisthatAmericanforeignpolicytends tobepragmatic
andresultsdriven.Studentsofinternationalrelationsarefondofdog-
maticstatements.Realisttheoreticiansmakeassertionsabouttheinevi-
tabilityofinternationalconflict;idealistsanathematizetherealistdogmas
andproclaimtheirownfaithintheultimatecompatibility,ifnotper-
fectibility,ofhumankind.
Thesedoctrinesareinterestingand,ontheirownterms,compelling,
butpolicymakersareoftenbetterofftreatingdoctrinalassertionsofthis
kindwithrespectfulskepticism.Foronethingitseemsunlikelythat
thesecontroversieswilleverbesettledtothesatisfactionofallparties;
unlikedisputesinthenaturalsciences,disputesinphilosophyandthe
socialscienceshavea wayoflingeringunresolved,sometimesforthou-
sandsofyears.Foranotherthingitmaynotmatterthatmuchtopolicy
makerswhether the idealists orrealists will someday, somehow, be
provedtohavebeenrightallalong.Wemayinfactliveina worldin
whichrealistlogicultimatelygovernsinternationalrelations;neverthe-
less,today,thisweek,thisyear,onthisissueorwithrespecttothiscoun-
try,itmaywellbehoovetheUnitedStatestoactas iftheopposite,
idealisticlogicprevailed.Orviceversa.Itis, touseoneofthemost
dreadedepithetsinforeignpolicywriting,a littlenaivetosupposethat
thekeytosuccessfulforeignpolicyisfirsttoderivea correctaccountof
theeternalprinciplesthatguidethepoliticallifeofnations,andthen
religiouslyanddutifullyseektoapplytheseeternalprinciplesinone's
dailylife.
Thecompetitionamongfourschools,affectedindifferentwaysandto