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

TheKaleidoscopeofAmericanForeignPolicy 47

ditures.Youwillindueseasonhavewarsenteredintofrompassionand

notfromreason.Youwillindueseasonfindyourpropertyislessvalu-

ableandyourfreedomlesscomplete.^26

Deficitspendingandmilitaryadventurescomprisedtheconventional
verdictondemocracynotonlyofDisraeli'stimebutofalmostallgenera-
tionsfromtheHomericageintothetwenty-firstcentury.Inthisview,
RonaldReagan'scombinationofbigbudgetdeficitswithlargemilitary
budgetsanda forcefulforeignpolicyrepresentsthepenultimateform
ofdemocracy,tobefollowedinduecoursebyanevenmoreunscrupu-
lousdemagoguewhowinsthevotesofanignorantpopulacebycatering
totheirprejudices,anduses thepowerssogainedtomakehimselfa
dictator.
Thewidespreadviewofourtimesthatdemocraciesdon'tgetinto
aggressivewarswas notacceptedbyourpredecessors.Thegrowthof
democracyintheUnitedStatesandEuropewenthandinhandwithan
enormousincreaseinbellicosityininternationalrelations.Aswehave
seen,ithadbeenonlywithdifficultythatAmericanandBritishstates-
menmanaged tokeepinflamedpopular opinionfrom pushingtheir
nationsintowarsovertheOregonboundaryinthe1840SandtheTrent
affairin1861.^27 Anirresistibletideofpopularopiniondrewthehesitant
WilliamMcKinleyintotheSpanish-AmericanWar.Publicopinionin
allthemajorEuropeancountriesgreetedtheoutbreakofwarin 1914
withenthusiasm,andateverygreatdiplomaticcrisisinthefiftyyears
fromtheCivilWartoWorldWarI,inallthemore-or-Iessdemocrati-
callyruledcountries,itconsistentlyfavoredthemorewarlikecourse,and
thosewhoworkedforinternationalcompromiseriskedtheirpolitical
lives.
IfAmericanopinionwaslesswarlikethanEuropeanopinionin1914,
thenextsixyearscouldserveasa textbookcaseforthevacillationand
emotionalismagainstwhichcriticsofdemocracyhadwarned.American
feelingswungfrompacifismin 1914 tobloodthirstyferocitythreeyears
later.In 1916 theAmericanpeoplereelectedWoodrowWilsonbecause
hehadkeptthemoutofwar;a yearlater,theywererenamingsauer-
kraut"libertycabbage"soasnottogiveaidandcomfortto"theHun."
In 1918 theywereready tofightinthetrenchestoestablishdemocracy
andpeaceworldwide;by 1920 theywantednothingmorethantoforget
thehorrorsofwarandtheresponsibilitiesofpeaceina headlongreturn
to"normalcy."
ThiswasnotjustanAmericanflaw.EveryEuropeandemocracywas