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

336 Afterword

underthefirstPresidentBushandBillClinton-publicopinioncanturnvio-
lentlyagainstpolicyandforcea withdrawal.Fearofsuchfailureimposescau-
tiononpresidentsdispatchingforces onwhatJacksonianswouldregard as
optionalinterventions.ButwhenpeacefulAmericansmindingtheirownbusi-
nessareattackedathome,thisiswar.Thewholehiveswarmsouttostingthe
intrudertodeath.Asanimperialpower,evenandperhapsespeciallywhen
engagedinprojectsofhumanitarianintervention,theUnitedStatescanbe
irresoluteanddivided;inself-defenseitisfocusedandruthless.
Froma Jacksonianstandpoint,theattacksofSeptember 2001 wereifany-
thingmore cowardlyand less justified thantheJapaneseattackat Pearl
Harbor,andAmericansofeverypoliticalpartyandineveryregionofthecoun-
tryunitedtoexpresstheirsupportforthemostvigorouspossibleretaliation.
Jacksoniansoldand new(and theevents ofSeptember 11 broughtmany
AmericansintouchwiththeJacksonianelementoftheirownmakeupforthe
firsttime)wantedtheUnitedStatestotakeallpossiblestepsagainstthismon-
strousevil,andtheywerepreparedtograntthepresidentunlimitedfundsand
virruallyunlimitedauthoritytoprosecutethewaronterroruntiltotalvictory
wasachieved.
Inpursuitofthisvictory',Jacksonianswerenottroubledbyissuesofinter-
nationallaw.Terroristswhokillthousandsofinnocentpeopledonotdeserve
theprotectionoftheGenevaConvention,Jacksoniansargued,andtheysup-
portedtheinternmentofcapturedTalibanandAlQaedafightersontheU.S.
navalbaseinGuantanamo,Cuba.Foreigncriminalswhostagesneakattackson
Americanciviliansinpeacetimedonot,Jacksoniansbelieve,haveanyrights
thattheUnitedStatesisboundtoobserve.Jacksonianswerenotparticularly
troubledbyreportsthatU.S.forceswereresponsiblefordamagetociviliantar-
getsduringthebombingsinAfghanistanandwerepreparedtosupportfurther
actionagainstSaddamHusseininIraq.
Asalways,Jacksoniansupportisa mixedblessingfora wartimepresident.
Ontheonehand,a rousedJacksonianpublicisreadytopayanypriceandbear
anyburdentowinwhatitregardsasa justandnecessarywar.Ontheother
hand,Jacksonianswantresultsandtheyholdpresidentsaccountable. When
theylostconfidencethatPresidentsTruman,Johnson,andNixonhadviable
strategiestowintheKoreanandVietnamwars,Jacksonianswithdrewtheir
supportfromtheseembattledleaders.Ashesurveysthecomplexlandscapeof
themodernMiddleEast,PresidentGeorgeW.Bushknowsthattheenormous
supporthereceivedinthefirstyearofthewarwillremainwithhimonlyas
longashecandemonstrateconcreteprogressinthewar---oratleastformulate
andcommunicatea warstrategythatJacksonianAmericacanunderstandand
accept.
TheJacksonianresponsemayhavebeenthemostdramatic,buttheother
schoolswerealsorepresentedinthedebatesandpolicy-makingasthenewwar