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

ChangingtheParadigms 6 I

Theseweretheunpromisingcircumstancesinwhichthegreatdebate
onpostwarAmericanforeignpolicyhadtobelaunchedsomefiftyyears
ago,andtheresponseoftheAmericanforeignpolicyestablishmentwas
tocreatewhat,withoutprejudice,wecancallthemythoftheColdWar.
AshistorianMichaelKammenremindsusinhisbookMysticChordsof
Memory,mythsarenotintrinsicallybad.Theyareevennecessary;theyare
condensationsofhistoricaltraditionsandreceivedideasthatforma use-
fulshorthandfordebate.Democraticsocietydependsonmyths;without
sucha convenienthistoricalshorthandthatcompressesandsimplifies
extremelycomplexhistoricaleventsandpoliticalquestionsintoideas
and images that nonspecialists can understand and use, democratic
debatewouldsimplydisappear.
Likemostmyths,themythoftheColdWarwasa mixtureoffact,
interpretation,andfiction; itwas intendedtomeetthe needsofthe
nationata specificpointintime,anditimpliesnodisrespectforanold
mythorforthosewhoputittogethertosuggestthat,withthepassingof
time,theoldmythmayhavelostitsutility.
Thereweretwomainelementsinwhatbecamethemyth-or,touse
a lessevocativebutperhapslessinvidiousterm,theparadigm-ofthe
ColdWar.OnewasamythaboutThem;theotherwasamythaboutUs.
ThemythaboutThem-thatcommunismwas aunitedglobalforce
engagedina determined,aggressivecrusadetoimposeitsviciouside-
ologyineverycorneroftheglobe-wasneververyaccurate,andham-
peredthoughtfulAmericanforeignpolicy-makersthroughouttheCold
War.ThemythwaspoliticallyusefulinthatitmobilizedAmericanpub-
licopinionforthestruggle.DeanAchesonconjureduptheimageofa
communisttideflowingthroughouttheMiddleEasttopersuadeleading
congressmentosupportaidtoGreeceandTurkey,butheknewatthe
timethathewasbeing,ashewouldlatersay,"clearerthantruth."2The
notionofa monolithiccommunismwaspoliticallymischievousbecause
iteffectivelypreventedAmericanpublicopinionfrom understanding
theColdWarinanycoherentorsensibleway.Withoutthismyththe
UnitedStatesmightneverhavestumbledintotheVietnamWar;onthe
otherhand,withoutitwemightneverhavesummonedupthenational
willtofighttheColdWarforfortyyears.Fortunately,thecollapseof
communismhasnowlargelyrobbedthismythofitspowertoharm.
TheColdWarmythabouttheUnitedStateswaslessobviouslyinac-
curatethanthemythaboutcommunism;unfortunatelythismythstill
helpsshapeAmericanforeignpolicydiscussionstodayand,unless its