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

TheFutureofAmericanForeignPolicy 325

threatandthedefensiveresponsehadeconomicandsocialdimensions,
thechieffocusofthecontestwaswidelyseenasmilitarysecurity.
WhentheColdWarended,wewerestillrunninga worldsystem,but
substantialelementsofAmericanpublicopiniondidn'tknowthat,and
didn'tunderstandtowhatdegreemuchofourColdWarpolicyhadactu-
allybeenshapedbythenecessitiesoftheworldsystemratherthansim-
plybytheconflictwiththeSovietUnion.
Therealitytodayisthatournationalsecurityandprosperitydependon
thehealthoftheworldsystem-andthehealthofthatsystemdepends
onthewisdom,strength,andforesightofAmericanforeignpolicy-
andonthewillingnessoftheAmericanpeopletobackuptheirgovern-
ment'spolicies.Toavoidanothereraofpotentiallyverydangerousstrate-
gicgridlock,wewillneeda debateovertheAmericanhegemonyandits
meaningforthenationalinterest.
Thisdebateisallthemoreimportantbecauseofchangesthathave
takenplaceintheworldsinceearlyinthetwentiethcentury.TheUnited
Statesenjoyeda luxuryinthe 1920Sand 1930Sthatitdoesn't have
today:theopportunitytorespondlatetoominousinternationaldevelop-
ments.WeaponsfiredfromEuropeandAsiawereincapableofreaching
theNorthAmericanmainland;moreover,BritainandFrance,oncegreat
andpowerfulstates,stillstoodlikescarecrowsinworldpolitics-they
couldnotmove,butthecrowsdidn'tknowthat,andsuchrestlesspow-
ersastheSovietUnion,Germany,Italy,andJapanproceededmorecau-
tiouslythantheymighthave.NowtheUnitedStatesisaloneinthefield;
noonedoubtsthatwemustbeonthefrontlinesinanyresponsetoworld
problems,whethermilitary,political,social,oreconomicinorigin.

Static

Inlaunchingthisdebate,theAmericanelitefacesa somewhatskepti-
calpublic,especiallyamongJacksonians.Toamuchgreaterextentthan
itlikestoacknowledge,theAmericanelitehasa longwaytogotoregain
theconfidenceoftheAmericanpeople.Hamiltoniantradepolicylooks
~omanyAmericanslikea schemetodriveAmericans'wagesdownfor
thesakeofcorporateprofits.Wilsoniansupportforhumanitarianinter-
ventionslooksliketheroadtoa never-endingseriesofexpensive,morally
ambiguous,andpotentiallybloodyengagements.Asalways,theyoung
womenandmenonthefrontlinesintheseinterventionswill notbe