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

TheFurureofAmericanForeignPolicy 329

Compoundingthisproblemisa seriousdeficiencyintheAmerican
academy:analmostcompleteneglectoftheartsofrationalpersuasion.
BrightyoungAmericanssimplydon'tgetmuchtraininginlearningto
speakand,aboveall,towriteinwaysthattheiraverage,less-privileged
fellowcitizensfindconvincing.Indeed,itisgenerallytrueintheUnited
Statestodaythatthe"better"theschoolsoneattends,andthelongerone
staysinthem,thelessabilityordesireonehastospeakorwriteinways
thatwillbepersuasivetothegreatmajorityofone'sfellowcitizens.
Thisisanoddmodelofeducationfora democraticsociety,andone
resultisthattheneo-elite,whetherJeffersonian,Wilsonian,orHamil-
tonianbyinclinationandinstinct,almostuniversallyproducesforeign
policyconceptsthatdonotimmediatelyspeaktothebasicinterestsand
needsofordinarycitizens.Tomakemattersworse,itsfar-from-silver-
tonguedrepresentativesarethenextremelypooratpresentinganddefend-
ingtheseawkwardandperhapsill-conceivedideas.
Thisis nowaytoruneithertheforeignorthedomesticpolicies
ofa greatnation.Soonerorlater,unlesstheseproblemscanbeaddressed,
theUnitedStateswillcometogriefasthegovernedincreasingly-and
justifiably-tuneoutthegovernors.
Yettheneedforgenuineleadershipinourpoliticscannotbeempha-
sizedenough.Theimportanceofleadershipintheformationofforeign
policyandinbuildinga popularconsensusbehinditcanperhapsbestbe
illustratedbythecareerofAndrewJackson.Jacksonwasa widelyread,
thoughtful,andfarsightedman;healsopassedalltheculturaltestsof
JacksonianAmerica.Asa herointwowarsagainstBritain,a victorin
Indianwars,andsomeonewidelyadmiredforhisno-nonsenseapproach
toSpanishweaknessandmisruleinFlorida,Jacksonenjoyedanenor-
mousdegreeoftrustamongordinaryAmericancitizens.Hepossessed
virtuesthattheyunderstood;withouteverdescendingtothedegrading
statusofa careerpolitician,hehaddemonstratedhiscommitmenttothe
nationandthecommongoodthrougha longandvisiblelifeofpublic
servICe.
YetJacksonwasinnowaylimitedbytheviewsofthepopularculture
outofwhichheemerged andonwhichhis politicalstrengthchiefly
depended. College-educatedatatimewhenuniversityeducationwas
rare,hebecamea richandsuccessfulplanter.Hewasenormouslywell
read,andsuchhostileobserversasMrs.DanielWebsterwereagreeably
surprisedbyhispolishedmannersandcultivatedsmalltalk.
Inoffice,hisforeignpolicywasnicely judged.Hewassometimes