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

60 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

assentinthepostwarUnitedStates.Nostalgicfora pastthathadnever
existed,eagertoturntheirbacksonthedepressingspectacleofEuropean
scorpionsgrapplingintheirbottle,Americansboughtthemythofvirtu-
ousisolation.Asthe stormcloudsgatheredagainovertheworldinthe
1930S,andthe Rooseveltadministrationgirded itsloins toleadthe
nationintoa secondglobalconflict,thedebunkingofthismythwas
anurgentpriority.Similarly,for thosepreparing thegroundforU.S.
participationintheColdWar,themythofvirtuousisolationwas the
greatestobstacletothepoliciestheywishedtourgeonthenation.
Thedebunkershada difficult,counterintuitivecasetomake.Isola-
tion,virtuousornot,wasappealinginthedangerousworldofthetwen-
tiethcentury.Hardinghadevokedthisnostalgiabycallingforaretum
to"normalcy" aftertheFirstWorldWar,and itsrestorationis what
manyAmericansbelievedtheyhadsacrificedandfoughtforintheStjc-
ond.Wartimepropagandahadreinforcedthisexpectation.Fascismand
Japanesemilitarismhadbeenthecauseofthewar;nowthoseevilideoLo-
gieshadbeencrushed.Theworld'sfreepeoples-thebraveRussians;the
rapidlydevelopingdemocraticChinese;thepluckyBritish;andthelong--
sufferingFrench-werenowincontroland,manyAmericansexpected,
thenecessityofAmericaninterventionwouldfadeaway.
ItwasthesaddutyoftheAmericangovernmentinthe1940Stoper-
suadethenationthatthiswasnotso.Therewasnotmuchtimeforthis
task;thewinterof 1947 broughttheUnitedStatesface-to-facewithone
ofthemostperiloussituationsinmodernEuropean history.Europe's
economieshadnotonlyfailedtorecoverfromthedevastationofwar,but
muchoftheContinentappearedtobesinkingdeeperintoa depression
whoseendcouldnotbeforeseen."Europeis steadilydeteriorating...,"
wroteUnderSecretaryforEconomicAffairsWillClaytoninMayofthat
year."Millionsofpeopleinthecitiesareslowlystarving....Without
furtherpromptandsubstantialaidfromtheUnitedStates,economic,
socialandpoliticaldisintegrationwilloverwhelmEurope.'"
Well-organizedCommunistpartiesinItalyandFranceappearedto
be gaining strengthat theexpense ofthe fragile democraticforces.
Meanwhile,Britain'seconomicandmilitarypower,longsagging,was
beginningtocrumble;theUnitedStateswouldhavetoface thenew
postwarworldwithouta singlepowerfulally.PresidentTruman,already
performingpoorlyinthepolls,facedanuphillbattleforelectioninhis
ownright;thecongressionalelectionsof 1946 sawastunningcollapseof
theonce-secureDemocraticmajoritiesinbothhouses.