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

80 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

estintheinternational,largelymaritimetradingandfinancialorderthat
overthelastfewcenturieshasgraduallyspreadovertheearthandinte-
gratedtheeconomiesofmanynationsandcontinents.Whatwenowcall
globalization-thegrowthofaninternationaleconomicsystem-isone
ofthemostimportanthistoricaldevelopmentsofthelastfivecenturies.
Indeed, the colonizationofwhat became the UnitedStates was an
episodeinthislongprocess.
FormostofAmericanhistorytheglobaleconomicorderwascentered
onGreatBritain,andthereforeourkeynationaldependencyonandcon-
cernaboutthisorderimplieda closeifsometimesconflictedrelationship
with GreatBritain. This British-based internationalsystemaffected
boththepoliticalandeconomicinterestsoftheUnitedStates.Economi-
callywewereconcernedtohaveopportunitiesforourtradeandtocon-
troltheimpactonourdomestic orderoftheinternationaleconomic
system.PoliticallytheUnitedStatesalwayshadtothinkaboutwhether
Britainwouldwieldthepowerofitsglobalsysteminwaysthatwould
benefitus,oratleastnotimposeunacceptablerisksandcosts.Inthe
worstcaseAmericanshadtothinkaboutwhattodoifa clashofinterests
withGreatBritainledtowar.(Contingencyplanningfora waragainst
theBritishEmpirewasanimportantactivityfor Americanmilitary
strategists well into the twentieth century.) Increasingly, as British
powerdeclined,theUnitedStateshadtothinkaboutwhetherBritain
couldmaintainthissystem,andwhattheUnitedStatesshoulddoifand
whenBritainfailed.
Althoughthewordglobalizationisnew,andalthoughtheprocesshas
acceleratedanddeepenedinrecentyears,globalizationhasbeenthemost
importantfactofworldhistoryduringtheentirehistoryoftheUnited
States.Becauseofourgeographicalsituationandthecommercialand
enterprisingnatureofAmericansociety,globalizationhasbeenatthe
heartofAmericanstrategicthinkingandpolicymakingforvirtuallyall
ofourhistory.
ThehistoryofAmericanforeignpolicydividesintofourerasbasedon
ourchanging relationshiptoGreat Britainandthe emergingglobal
order.Thefirstera,lastingfrom 1776 to1823,sawtheUnitedStates
winitspoliticalindependencefromtheBritishEmpire,andthenimme-
diatelybegintoworkoutthequestionofitsrelationswiththeBritish
economicsystemandimperialpower.BothBritainandtheUnitedStates
hadtograpplewithquestionsabouttherelationship.OntheBritish
side:ShouldthemothercountrytrytostrangletheinfantUnion,orwas