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

190 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

lesshorriblethroughlegalmeans.Theylookedtoarmslimits,disarma-
mentagreements,andstrictrulesofwaraswaystoachievethesegoals-
and, ifpossible, to reduce the costs ofdefense in times ofpeace.
BeginningaftertheCivilWar,Jeffersonianssoughttoinduceforeign
countriestoenterintoarbitrationagreementswiththeUnitedStatesand
oneanother,pledgingtosubmittheirdifferencestopeacefularbitration
andacceptingcooling-offperiodsbeforeresortingtohostilities.
Thatwarshouldbethelastresortofpolicyremainsa primarypillarof
Jeffersonianthoughttoday.Afternegotiationhasfailed,afterarbitration
hasbeenunsuccessful,aftersanctionshavehadnoeffect-youcanstill
gotowarifyoumust.Eventhen,however,Jeffersonianswouldprefera
gradualapproachtowar:Turnthethermostatupa littleata time;tryto
getyourresultswiththeleastpossibleapplicationofforce.

TheConstitutionalConductofForeignPolicy

IftheavoidanceofwaristhefirstprincipleofJeffersonianstatesman-

ship,thesecondistheconstitutionalconductofforeignpolicy.HereJef-

fersoniansoftenstandalone;theotherthreeschoolsarewillingandready

tolaythesacredscrollsasidewhenthecannonsthunder,orevenwhen

theythreatentothunder."Silentenimlegesinterarma,"Cicerotolda

Romanjuryin 52 B.C.:Thelawshutsupwhenweaponsspeak.^20

HamiltonianslikeDeanAchesonhaveroundlyandfranklycursedthe

Constitutionwithitsintricateframeworkoftoilsandsnares,theoppor-

tunitiesitgivesforrecalcitrantsenatorstogumuptheworksofthe

executivemachine.Wilsonians,too,whentheirbloodisupbecauseof

some pestilentialforeign evildoer,areable toemancipatethemselves

fromanexcessivereverenceforconstitutionalnorms.Fewofthem,for

example,soughttoapplytheWarPowersActintheYugoslavwarof

1999.AsforJacksonians,itwasAndrew Jacksonwhosaid,.when,in

1832,theSupremeCourtoverturnedtheIndianRemovalAct,"John

Marshallhasmadehisdecision;nowlethimenforceit."21

NotonlydoJeffersoniansactuallyvaluewhatsomanyregardasthe

odiousconstitutionalrestrictionsonexecutivepower,theywouldsome-

timesevenlike toseethemtightened.ThroughoutAmericanhistory

theyhavesoughttodefendcongressionalpoweranddignityinforeign

affairs.InthefightsovertheLeagueofNations,theUNCharter,andthe

treaty thatfounded NATO,Jeffersonians insisted on language that