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

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despotsagreedonallmajorphilosophicalandreligiousquestions,dis-
putingonlythepossessionofvariouspiecesofturf, wasanexception
tothegeneralrulethatthewarsofgreatpowershavespiritualoratleast
ideological importance. TheFrench Revolution putan endto that
unnatural state, andfrom the waroftheFirstCoalitionagainstthe
FrenchRevolutiontothepresentday,competitionamongpowershas
usuallybeenlinkedtoa competitionamongideas.
TheparticularsetofideaswithwhichtheUnitedStateshasbeen
mostcloselyassociated,andtheculturalstratumfromwhichtheychiefly
proceed,iscloselylinkedtothosethatinformedourpredecessoratthe
apexofworldpower.Inthenineteenthcentury,indeed,Britishcommen-
tatorsoftenremarkedontheinstructivedifferencebetweentheselfless
altruismofBritishLiberalforeignpolicyandthegratinglyself-seeking
activitiesoftheirYankeecousins.Thetwistsandturnsofthe"noncon-
formist conscience"ofLiberal Britain-sonamedbecauseofitsroots
amongtheheirsofthePuritansandDissentersofBritishhistory-were
byturnssourcesofamusementandfrustrationforcontinentalstatesmen.
BritishLiberalsfoughtagainstthepragmatictilttowardtheOttoman
EmpirethatBritishimperialinterestsseemedtorequire,arguingthat
OttomanatrocitiesintheBalkansdemandedwhatwewouldnowcalla
"humanrights"responsefromtheworld'shegemonicpower.Itwasthe
BritishwhoabolishedslaveryandputtheBritishnavytoworksuppress-
ingtheslavetradeinAfricaandthesurroundingseas;BritishLiberals
defiedAmericanopinionandriskedaninternationalcrisisratherthan
returnfugitive slaveswhoreachedBritishsoil. ItwasBritainwhose
emissariestrekkedthewildsofAfricaandsentpunitiveexpeditionsto
putdowntheslavetrade;BritonssummonedthepowersofEuropeto
squelchethnic conflictandterrorismin theBalkans,suppressed the
thuggeecultofritualmurderinIndia,andendedthepracticeofsuttee,
inwhichhigh-casteHinduwidowswereexpectedtocommitsuicideby
leapingontotheirhusband'sfuneralpyres.
BritishLiberalopinioncontinuedtosupportwhat,inanAmerican
context,wewouldcallWilsonianpoliciesupthroughthefalloftheBrit-
ishEmpireandintomoderntimes.WhenWilsontriedtoimposea
WilsonianpeaceattheendofWorldWarI, hisstrongestforeignallies
werefoundintheBritishLiberalParty,andthemostsavageattackson
theshortcomingsoftheVersaillestreatywerepennedbyJohnMaynard
Keynes,thetoweringintellectofBritishLiberalthoughtinthetwenti-
ethcentury.
DisgruntledConservatives,overlookingtheworldwideriseincon-