62 SPECIALPROVIDENCEinfluenceis countered,itwillwreaka greatdealofmischiefinthepost-
ColdWarera.
Essentially,theColdWarmythabouttheUnitedStateswasbornof
desperation.Thedifferencebetweentheapparentcontentoftraditional
American policy-isolationistandprotectionist-andthedemandsof
theColdWareraforaninterventionistandfree-tradepolicywassogreat
thatlittleeffortwaswastedinattemptingtolookforlinksbetweenthe
oldandnewforeignpolicies.
Intheheatofpoliticaldebatetherewasnotimeandlittleinclination
forsubtlehairsplittingaboutthenatureofAmericanforeignpolicyin
pastgenerations.ItwasidletosaythattheMonroeDoctrineandthe
specialrelationshipwithGreatBritainconstituteda sophisticatedand
successfulAmericanparticipation intheglobal balanceofpower. It
wastoolatetoreplacepopular,totemisticvenerationforWashington's
FarewellAddresswitha deeperunderstandingandappreciationforthe
historicalcircumstancessurroundingthespeechandanexegesisofthe
subtle-andstillrelevant-ideasthatitcontained.Toomuchpolitical
oratory,toomanyhistorybooks,hadbeendedicatedtopropagatingthe
now-rigidifiedmythofvirtuousisolationism.A handfulofforeignpolicy
intellectuals-including Walter Lippmann-tried to reinterpret the
receivedwisdom.TheMonroeDoctrine,wroteLippmann,wasn'tisola-
tionist:Itwasa tacitagreementbetweentheUnitedStatesandGreat
Britaintomaintainthebalanceofpower.^3 Butthepolicy-makersand
practical statesmencouldnotafford toplunge into thesedangerous
cross-currents. "Therewas no 'unwrittenagreement,'" FranklinRoo-
seveltflatlysaidinthesamefiresidechatinwhichhealsodeclaredthat
theUnitedStateswouldbecomethe"arsenalofdemocracy."4
LikeRoosevelt,theColdWarriors instinctivelyandprobablycor-
rectlyfelttheywerebetteroffemphasizingthediscontinuitiesbetween
oldandnewAmericanpolicy.Astheylaboredtocountertheinfluenceof
themythofvirtuousisolation,RooseveltandhisColdWarsuccessors
endedbythrowinguptheirhands.Theoldmythwastoostrong;itcould
beburied,butitcouldnotberevised.Sowhattheysaidinsteadwasthat
isolationhadbeentherightforeignpolicyinitsday,butthatitsdaywas
over.True,saidtheColdWarriors,theAmericandiplomatichistoryof
thenineteenthcenturywaslargelya blank.Exceptforwestwardexpan-
sion,theUnitedStatesessentiallyhadnoforeignpolicyfromtheprocla-
mationoftheMonroe Doctrinein 1823 untilMcKinley'swarwith
Spain.America'straditionalisolationwastheresultoftheweaknessof