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

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tookshape.Jeffersoniansrespondedtotheattackbyarguingfora reduced
AmericanpresenceintheMiddleEast.Americanallianceswithquestionable
Arabregimesplusone-sidedsupportforIsraelhad,Jeffersoniancriticssug-
gested,inflamedopinionagainsttheUnitedStatesandmadethecountrya tar-
get.Jeffersoniancriticswerealsoquicktoturnagainstwhattheyperceivedas
heavy-handedJusticeDepartmenttacticsinthewaronterror.Wasitreally
necessary,Jeffersoniansasked,toabridgethecivillibertiesofresidentaliens?
WhentheU.S.governmentroundedupanundisclosednumberofaliensand
heldthemformonthswithoutdisclosingtheirnames,Jeffersonianssawviola-
tionsofpreciselythevaluesthatmadetheUnitedStatesworthfightingfor.As
theBushadministrationpreparedtousetheSeptemberattacksasa justifica-
tionforrollingbacka hostofVietnam-erarestrictionsontheactivitiesofthe
CIAandotherU.S.agencies,Jeffersonianswarnedthattheserashstepswould
leadtonewexcessesinthefuture.
Wilsoniansweregenerallyreadytosupporta vigorousprosecutionofthe
waronterror,buttheyurgedtheadministrationtodosoasfar aspossible
throughinternationalinstitutionsandwithduerespectforinternationallaw.
Theyarguedthatsincecapturingandcontrollingterroristswouldrequireclose
intelligencecooperationandtheexchangeoffinancialinformationwithmany
countries,thenatureofthenewsecuritythreatmadewholeheartedsupport
fromalliesmorenecessarythanever.This,Wilsonianssaid,shouldforcethe
Bushadministrationtoseetheimportanceofcooperationwiththeinterna-
tionalcommunity.Thegoodwillofallies~annotbetakenforgranted;the
UnitedStatescanonlyretainthesupportofitsalliesbyobservinginternational
lawandhelpingtobuildinternationalinstitutions.
FromaHamiltonianperspective,thewarwasa dangerouschallengetothe
basicelementsofAmericanpower.TheattacksontheWorldTradeCenterwere
morethananattackonaNewYorkCitylandmark;theywereanattackonthe
citadelofinternationalbusiness.Theattacksandtheiraftershockshada meas-
urableeffectontheU.S.economy,buttheyalsocalledintoquestionthesecu-
rityoftheentireinternationaleconomicsystemthattheU.S.hadbuilt.Would
theneedtoimprovesecurityslowthepassageofvitalgoodsacrossnational
frontiers?Wouldimportantindustrieslikecivilaviationandtourismrecover?
WouldU.S.companiesandtravelersaroundtheworldbecomethetargetsof
terroristaction?WouldtheoilmonarchiesoftheMiddleEastcollapseasthe
warprogressed,andwouldthevitaloiltradebedisrupted?
FromaHamiltonianpointofview,thenewwarneedstobewagedwith
greatvigor,butalsogreatstrategy.Therearemanyfrontsinthewar.Thepoint
isnotsimplytohuntdownandpunishthemassmurdererswhoplannedthe
attack;itistoensurethattheinternationalAmericansystememergesfromthe
warstrongerandricherthanever.Hamiltonianslookedforwaystoprosecute
thewarthatwouldstrengthenU.S.tieswithkeyalliesinEuropeandAsia.