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

ChangingtheParadigms 8 I

Britainbetteroffwitha strongandstabletradingpartner?Fromthe
Americanside,anothersetofquestionshadtobeaddressed.Wasthe
UnitedStatesbetteroffunderminingBritainbyformingallianceswith
strongContinentalpowers,orwas itwiserpolicytosidewithBritish
attemptstomaintaina balanceofpowerinEurope?Shouldwe have
stood readytohelpBritainkeepthecontinentalscorpionsstuffedin
theirbottle,orwouldithavebeensafertohelpOneofthescorpionsout,
thusensuringthatBritainneverhadtheleisureorresourcestoturnon
theUnitedStates?
Opinioninbothcountriesseesawedontheseissues,butultimately
eachsidereacheda consensus.TheBritishacknowledgedthatBritain
wasbetterofftradingwiththeUnitedStatesthanadding thedangers
andexpensesofananti-Americanforeignpolicytoalltheworriesof
maintaininga balanceofpowerinEuropeandbuildinga growingglobal
system.TheUnitedStatesforitspartdecidedthathavingBritanniarule
thewaveswasbetterthanlettingtherestofthescorpionsoutofthebot-
tle.Foritsownselfishreasons, Britainwoulddoitsbesttokeepthe
EuropeanempiresbottledupinEurope.TheUnitedStatesdecidedthat
itwouldnotonlynotstabBritainintheback,butitalsohintedthat,if
oneofthescorpionsgottoostrong,theUnitedStatesasanabsolutely
lastresortmightcometoBritain'sassistanceandhelpkeepthebottle
firmlycorked.
Wecanandshouldsaynowwhatpolicymakersknewbutlackedthe
timetosayearlierinthecentury.FranklinRooseveltwastechnically
rightthattheMonroeDoctrinewasnotsoformalorclearevenasan
"unwrittenagreement."BurWalterLippmannwasalsorighttosaythat
therewasa tacitunderstanding.Themythofisolationwaswrong.The
MonroeDoctrinewasnotonlynotisolationist,itwasanti-isolationist.It
amountedtotherecognitionthatAmericansafetydependedOnthebal-
anceofpowerinEurope.Withthatdoctrine'spromulgation,thefirstera
inAmericanforeignpolicycametoa close.Thestrategicprinciplesof
the MonroeDoctrine havecontinued withoutinterruption to shape
Americanforeignpolicyfromthatdaytothis.Americaninterventionsin
theworldwarsaswellastheColdWarwerenota seriesofrevolutionary
departuresfromMonroe's statecraft;theywereexamplesofthesame
thinkingthatledMonroetoproclaimit.JustasMonroeandhistalented
secretaryofstate,JohnQuincyAdams,werepreparedinthelastanalysis
tohelpBritainpreventtheFrenchortheSpanishfromreestablishing
dynasticempiresintheAmericasinr823,twentieth-centuryAmerican