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

32 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

joinhiminblamingtheelitesforourmanyandmanifestforeignpolicy
sins. Perhaps the harshest critic is Christian Coalition founder Pat
Robertson,whoarguesthattheAmericanforeignpolicyelite,princi-
pallydirectedfromtheinnercoreoftheCouncilonForeignRelations,
flirtswitha satanicconspiracytopavethewayfortheAntichrist.^8 MIT
linguisticsprofessorNoamChomskyhasa somewhatmorebenignview,
butstillarguesthat"[tlopadvisoryanddecision-makingpositionsrelat-
ingtointernationalaffairsareheavilyconcentratedinthehandsofrepre-
sentativesofmajorcorporations,banks,investmentfirms,thefewlaw
firmsthatcatertocorporateinterests,andthetechnocraticandpolicy-
orientedintellectualswhodothebiddingofthosewhoownandmanage
thebasicinstitutionsofthedomesticsociety...."9Whiletheelitedoes
notactuallymakebloodsacrificestoSatanorconsciouslypavetheway
fortheAntichrist, itsvalues andpriorities,Chomskysays, areclear:
"Americanaidanddiplomaticsupportincreaseashumanrightsviola-
tionsincrease,atleastintheThirdWorld.Extensiveviolationsofhuman
rights (torture,forced reductionoflivingstandards formuchofthe
population,police-sponsoreddeathsquads,destructionofrepresentative
institutionsorofindependentunions,etc.)aredirectlycorrelatedwith
U.S.governmentsupport."ra
Bycomparison,thecritiquebyAFL-CIOpresident(andCouncilon
ForeignRelationsmember)JohnSweeneyisrelativelymild."Ascorpo-
rations andbankshaveforgedthe rulesoftheglobalmarketplace-
codifyingitsrulesinagreementslikeNAFTAandinstitutionslikethe
WorldTradeOrganization-theyprotectedproperty,butleftpeopleat
risk.Multinationalcompaniesescapedlabor,consumerandenvironmen-
tal regulation."IIInvestmentis everything,peoplearenothinginthe
elite-driven,economicallyorientedworldofAmericanforeignpolicy.
Itisa brutalpicture,butothershavecriticizedtheelitefordifferent
reasons.ObserverslikeRichardNixon,IrvingKristol,andRonaldRea-
ganagreedthatanelitedominatestheAmericanforeignpolicyprocess
andexcludesthesilentmajorityoftheAmericanpeople,buttheyidenti-;
fieda verydifferentelitethandoRobertson,Chomsky,andSweeney.For
thesecriticsa wobbly-kneed,spineless,andeffeteeliteistooweak,too
confused,andtoodecadenttoprotectbasicAmericannationalinterests,
muchlesstoworshipSatanormurdercharismatichumanrightsleaders
indevelopinglands.InNixon'simmortalprose,agroupof"pinstriped,
pantywaistpinkos" intheStateDepartmentandgraduates of"Dean
Acheson'sCowardlyCollegeofCommunistContainment"betrayedthe
nationalinterestYKristolidentifiestheirbasicmistake:anillusionthat