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

TheFutureof AmericanForeignPolicy 3 I 7

rowlimits-andthoughwithinthoselimitsitwasremarkablysuccess-
ful,thoselimitsdoomedittofailureintheend.Brillianttacticscould
notovercomethe lackofa coherent strategyinAmericaneconomic
policybetweenthewars.Thecostswerehigh.Badfeelingoverwardebts
helpeddivideBritainandFrancefromtheUnitedStates,whilebitter-
nessoverreparationsinflamedGermanopinionandgaveHitleroneof
hisbestissues. Perhapsevenworse,fromthestandpointofAmerican
Hamiltonians,theinstabilityoftheEuropeanfinancialsystemhelped
undermine thehealthofthemajorbanks intheUnitedStates. The
1932-33bankingcrisiswastheworstinAmericanhistory,shuttingthe
doorsofeverybankintheUnitedStatesfora periodandimmeasurably
worseningthedepression.
TheWilsoniansfarednobetter.ThefailureoftheTreatyofVersailles
andtherepudiationanddeathofWilsondidnotkilltheWilsonian
impulseinAmericanforeignpolicy.Onthecontrary:The1920Ssawa
sustainedburst ofWilsonianpolicy initiatives. In particular, in the
1920StheUnitedStatesledthemostsustainedprogramofinternational
disarmament inhistory. In 1922 the WashingtonNavalConference
committedtheworld'sleadingnavalpowers-Britain,Japan,andthe
UnitedStates-tostrictlimitsontheirnavalstrength;9netreductionsof
82,83,and 81 percentrespectively. Thoughtalksondisarmamentby
landandairwerelessconclusive,importantconventionsonarmstrade
limitswereneverthelessnegotiatedin 1919 and1925;thesecondwas
ultimatelyratifiedbytheUnitedStatesin1934,bywhichtime,unfor-
tunately,theconventionwasa deadletter.IO
Inadditiontounprecedentedprogressininternationaldisarmament,
thetwentiessawtheappearanceatleastofsignificantprogresstowarda
majorWilsoniangoal:theabolitionofwar.Ona bilateralbasisAmerican
oppositiontocompulsoryarbitrationagreementsdisappeared;Secretary
ofStateFrankKelloggnegotiatednineteenarbitrationandthirteencon-
ciliationagreementsduringfouryearsinoffice.rrBeforeleavingtoserve
asa judgeatthePermanentCourtofInternationalJusticeintheHague,
KelloggwontheNobelPeacePrizeforthecrowningachievementof
hiscareer,andperhapsoftheAmericanpeacemovement:theKellogg-
BriandPactof1928.'2Ratifiedby theSenateandtechnicallystillin
force,I3thistreatycommittedsignatorynationstorenouncewarforever;
thetreatywas ultimatelysignedbyallthemajorpowersandvirtually
everyindependentstateinexistenceatthetime.
The1920SsawcontinuingWilsonianinfluenceoverAmericanpolicy
towardChina.TheNine-PowerTreatycommittedthemajorpowersin