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

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didtheirbesttolimitthetendencyoftheColdWarclimatetocurbcivil
liberties.Jeffersoniansgenerallyopposedwhattheysawastheexcessive
anddemagogiceffortstorootoutcommunistsandleft-wingsympathiz-
ersfromthegovernment,universities,pulpits,andmedia.Theyledthe
chargeagainstlawsthatmademembershipintheAmericanCommunist
Partyillegalanddefended therightofCommunistsandCommunist
sympathizerstospeakfreely.
Froma Jeffersonianperspectivethereweretimes-manytimes-in
theColdWarwhenAmericanlibertywaslessendangeredbythemachi-
nationsofitsCommunistenemiesthanbytheham-fistedandrepressive
tacticsofitsallegedfriends.
WhileJeffersonianvoicesweregenerallyintheminorityduringthe
Cold Warera,they werenotwithout influence intheformation of
Americanforeignpolicy. Whenarch-hawkRichardNixonbeganthe
rapprochementwith CommunistChina,Jeffersonianideas aboutthe
conductoftheColdWarhadclearlyreachedthemainstream.Nixon's
approach todetentewiththe SovietUnion-minimizingideological
conflictswitha dangerousgreatpowerinordertoreducethecostsand
risksofAmericanforeignpolicy-issomethingthatJeffersonhimself
mighthavetried.CertainlyNixon'sdeterminationtotakehumanrights
offtheagendainworkingoutarmscontrolagreementswithLeonid
BrezhnevrecallsJefferson'shumbleandunctuouslettertoAlexander1.
Duringthe1980stheReaganadministrationtacitlyacknowledged
themeritofJeffersonianargumentsagainsta too-closeassociationwith
criminalregimesin thenameofanticommunismwhen itwithdrew
Americansupportfrom theapartheidregimeinSouthAfricaandthe
MarcosdictatorshipinthePhilippines.Jeffersonianlogicondisarma-
mentwasalsowidelyaccepted;everypresidentfromKennedythrough
Reaganengagedinseriouseffortstolimitthedevelopmentandspread
ofnuclearweapons.
Aftertwodecadesinwhich theJeffersonianideasandlanguageof
limitedAmericaninvolvementintheworldandlimitingtheexerciseof
U.S.powerweredistinctlyoutoffashion,theyenjoyeda revivalasthe
VietnamWarremindedmanyAmericansofthecaseagainstthearro-
ganceofpowerandtheimperialpresidencythatgrewupaftera genera-
tionofColdWarandcrisis.WithWalterLippmann,oneofthechief
coauthorsofWilson'sFourteenPoints,writingoneJeffersoniancolumn
afteranotherattackingimperialhubrisinVietnam,andWilliamFul-
brightofArkansasthunderingagainst"thearroganceofpower"onthe