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

"VindicatorOnlyofHerOwn" 213

Senatefloor,theJeffersonianideasthatanimatedthedespisedisolation-

istsofthe 1940Sreturned to thecenterofAmericanforeignpolicy

debate.

F

romtheI970Sonward,thetidebegantoturnbackinfavorofJef-
fersonianideas.ThedisappointmentsanddefeatsoftheVietnam
War,andtherevelationsofgovernmentdeceitpublishedinthePentagon
PapersandblaringinthedailyheadlinesduringtheWatergatescandal,
revivedpopulardistrustofthefederalgovernment.
The resurrection ofJeffersonian influence in foreign policy was
assistedbythepartialreversalinthelatetwentiethcenturyofthecen-
tralizing,professionalizingtrendsofthecentury'smiddleyears. The
nuclearpoweraccidentattheThreeMileIslandplantcontributedtoan
ongoingrevivalofskepticismaboutturningimportantsocialdecisions
overtoscientistsandexperts.Amassrebellionagainstmedicalauthority
sawmillionsofAmericanssecond-guessingtheirdoctorsandthemedical
establishment,"takingcontroloftheirowntreatment,"andreturningto
oldidealsofself-reliance.
Libertarianismalsorevivedasaneconomicdoctrine.Theregulated
commercialoligarchiesandmonopolies,suchasthethreemajortelevi-
sionnetworksandAT&T,thatweretheprideofthemidcenturyAmeri-
canestablishmentwerederidedasinefficientdinosaurs.Centralcontrol,
itwassuddenlydiscovered,hinderedinnovationandfosteredmediocrity.
Deregulationbecamethewatchwordinregulatorypolicy;theAmerican
economicsprofessionrediscoveredthewondersoffreedom.
Asimilarreevaluationtookplaceingovernment.Afteryearsofcen-
tralization,policy-makersbegantofindnewvirtuesinstategovernment.
BeginningwiththeNixonadministration,Washingtonbegantoreturn
revenueandpowertostategovernments.Bythe1990SeventheSupreme
Courthadrediscoveredfederalism,issuinga seriesofdecisionslimiting
thelegislativepowersofthenationalgovernment.
OtherdevelopmentsinAmericansocietyintheclosingyearsofthe
twentiethcenturyalsopointedtoa Jeffersonianrenaissance. Jeffersonians
andWilsonianssharea passionforfreedom,buttheyhaveverydifferent
waysofsecuringit.Itisa differenceofapproachthatcanbetracedback
totheseventeenthcentury,whenthePuritansdrovefreethinkerslike
RogerWilliamsandAnneHutchinsonfromMassachusetts.Wilsonians
sharethePuritanviewthatthegodlyhavetherightandthedutyto