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

72 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

Nooneappreciatedthegreat-powerpoliticalcapabilitiesoftheSoviet
statebetterthantheAmericandiplomatsandpolicymakerswhohadto
opposeit.Itwasa shortstepfroma healthyrespectforSovietpowerto
theconclusionthattheUnitedStatesneededtoimitateSovietstrategic
thinking;increasingnumbersofAmericanpolicymakersfoundthem-
selvestakingthatstepastheColdWardraggedon.

T

heshiftfromtraditionalAmericanapproachestoforeignpolicy

toContinentalrealismwasgradualandslow.MenlikeGeorgeI.

Kennan, Dean Acheson, Walter Lippmann, and Averell Harriman

helpedensurethatthevaluesandprioritiesoftheoldapproachescontin-

uedtoinformtheforeignpolicyprocessthroughthe1960s.Theinflu-

enceofContinentalrealisminAmericanforeign policydidnotpeak

untiltheNixonandFordadministrations,when,asnationalsecurity

adviserandsecretaryofstate,HenryKissingerplacedAmericanforeign

policyonsolidlyContinentalgrounds.

TheNixonandFordadministrationsrepresentedthezenithofConti-

nentalrealism'sinfluenceinAmericanforeignpolicy.Internationallife

wasseenasa morals-freezone.Ontheonehand,theUnitedStateswould

supportanydistastefulregime,barnone,intheinterestsofstrengthen-

ingourglobalposrureagainsttheSovietUnion.Somewhoattackedthis

ideabitterlywhenitwasappliedtoregimeslikeAugustoPinochet'sin

ChileapplaudeditwhenitledtotheopeningtowardChinaandNicolae

Ceausescu'sindependent-mindedifbizarreandtyrannicalRomania.As

conservativesnotedatthetime,however,theNixon-Kissingerapproach

alsotookthemoralelementoutoftheU.S.-Sovietrivalry.Itwasasifthe

UnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionweretwogreatpowerslikePrussia

andAustria,andcouldreacha detentebasedoncommoninterestswhile

settingasidetheirphilosophicaldifferences,justasCatholicAustriaand

ProtestantPrussiahaddone.

Fromthestandpointofpersonalmorality,itneedstobeemphasized,

thereis nothing inthe record to suggestthatNixonandKissinger

weren'tactingonthebasisofsincereconvictionandanhonestdesireto

promotethepeaceandhappinessofthehumanrace.Thedarknesswasin

theirworldviewratherthanintheirpersonalcharacters;theywerecon-

servativestatesmentryingtosafeguardtheinterestsentrustedtothemin

a dangerousandhostileworld.

Giventhisworldview,theViernamWarwasneithera moralcrusade

fortheadministrationnora moraldisaster.Itwasa practicalproblemto