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

40 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

patienceorpoliticalskillstobecome,orlongtoremain,secretaryof
state. (Talleyrand,however, mighthavedoneverywell.)Inany case
Americanforeignpolicyisusuallyagroupeffort-likeaproductofthe
oldHollywoodstudiosystem,ratherthantheindependentproductionof
a lone auteur.(Sadly, theAmericansecretaryofstateoftenoccupiesa
positionintheforeignpolicyworldmorelikethatofa Hollywoodwriter
thana director.)
Evenifa Metternich-orRichelieu-classgrandmastermanagedto
climbthegreasypoleofAmericanpoliticstobecomesecretaryofstate,
underthebestofcircumstanceshisorhertenurewouldbeshort.Bis-
marckservednineyearsasprimeministerofPrussiabeforeservingnine-
teenyearsaschancellorofImperialGermany;MetternichservedAustria
forthirty-nine.2ITheAmericanpresidencyoftenchangeshandsevery
fouryearsandmustchangeeveryeight;onlyunderunusualcircum-
stanceswilla long-servingsecretaryofstatereceiveaninvitationtocon-
tinueservingundera newpresident.Morefrequently,presidentschange
secretariesofstateonceormoreduringa four-yearterm;since 1789 the
UnitedStateshashadforty-threepresidentsandsixty-fivesecretariesof
state.
Short tenure, moreover, wouldbe the leastofthe obstacles con-
ftontinga would-be AmericanBismarck.Beyondtheoppositionand
harassmentofseveralcommitteesintwohousesofCongress,alongwith
theannoyanceofsufferingthevanityandinterpositionsofcommittee
chairs,a secretaryofstatesoondiscoversthattheStateDepartmenthas
nomonopolyevenintheexecutivebranchovertheformationofforeign
policy.Thereis alsothesmallshadowbureaucracyoftheNationalSecu-
rityCouncil-weakininstirutionalresourcesbutpowerfulinitsprox-
imityto thepresident-and the widerworld ofcompeting cabinet
departments,eachwithitsownforeignpolicy.ThePentagonmaintains
extensivecontactswithforeigngovernmentsandmilitaries,andithas
strongviewson overallAmericanforeign policy. Whenthe Defense
DepartmentdisagreeswiththeStateDepartmentona policymatter,it
doesnotquietlyfolditstentsandstealawayrepentantlyinto thenight;
itarguesforcefullyforitsownpositionorsimplycontinuestoconduct
itspolicywithoutreferencetotheviewsofFoggyBottom.
BeyondthePentagontherearetheintelligenceagencies,eachwith
itsownsetofviewsandpriorities,andeachwell-equippedtoconduct
substantialactivitieswithoutoversightorcoordinationwithState.The
U.S.TradeRepresentativehascabinetrankandholdsanofficewitha
separatemandateovera broadandsometimesill-definedzoneoftrade