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

TheRiseandRetreatof theNewWorldOrder 269

totheambitioustradeliberalizationagenda,worriedthattheglobalist
questfora newworldorderwouldleadtoa situationinwhichHamil-
tonianandWilsonianpolicymakerswerewillingtosacrificetheinter-
estsoftheAmericanpeopleforthesakeofthatorder.
AstheColdWarended,theglobalistswereintheascendant;boththe
firstBushandtheClintonpresidencieswerestaunchlyglobalist.The
globalistcoalitionweakenedthroughthe1990S,however,andtheelec-
tionof 2000 sawthesecondBushcourtJacksonianandevenJeffersonian
supportfora modifiedHamiltonianinternationalagendathatstepped
backfromtheambitiousWilsoniangoalsofthepost-ColdWardecade.
Thestoryoftheriseandfalloftheglobalistcoalition,andofthewaning
AmericancommitmenttoaHamiltonianandWilsonian "newworld
order,"isthestoryofthe1990S.

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n theeuphoriathatfollowedtheSovietdefeat,theglobalistestab-
lishmentbelievedthattheambitiousHamiltonianandWilsonian
internationalprogramswerelargelycompatibleandreasoq.ablyeasyto
accomplish.TheGulfWarreinforcedtheperceptionthatthetwopro-
grams could be simultaneously achieved with little expenditure of
money,blood,orpoliticalcapital.HamiltonianscouldseetheGulfWar
asa preventivewaragainstanaspiringnuclearpowerina regionofvital
nationalinterest;Wilsonianscouldcallita warforinternationallaw,
withtheUNSecurityCouncilactingasWilsonianshadalwayshopedit
would.EveryonecouldnotewithsomesatisfactionthatallieslikeJapan
hadbeenforcedtocontributemoneytowardthecostofthewar.
ThedomesticandinternationalGulfWarcoalitionsweresobroad
andsoeasilyassembledthatmanyconcludedthatthepoliticsofforeign
policyintheUnitedStateswouldnotbeexcessivelydifficult.Theover-
whelmingmilitarypowerdemonstratedbytheUnitedStatesinthecon-
flictsuggestedthatbuildingthenewworldorderwouldnotgreatlytest
thewillingnessoftheAmericanpeopletoabsorblargelossesincombat.
Forsomeyearsafter1989,mostoftheforeignpolicyestablishmentsaw
fewobstacles,eitherexternalorinternal,tousingAmericanpowerto
builda worldorderthatsatisfiedthekey criteriaofWilsoniansand
Hamiltoniansalike.
Astheninetiesworeon,thissunnypicturebegantodarken,evenas
continuingeconomic growth inthe UnitedStates strengthenedthe
country'stechnologicalandmilitaryleadintheworld.Theaftermathof