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

50 SPECIALPROVIDENCE

Buttheinabilityofcitizenstojudge,oractwiselyon,foreignpolicy
mattersdoesnotresultsimplyfroma lackofintellectualbackground
andmoral education.Diplomacyhasalwaysbeena secretart;itsmost
inspiredpractitionershavelovedthedarknessandfledthelight.Freeand
opendebateis essentialforthehealthofa democracy,butinmattersof
foreignpolicy the mostimportanttruthsareoftenthe ones nobody
states.
Thissecrecyprovidesanenvironmentinwhichcorruptionandtrea-
soncanflourish.Foreignstatescananddoseekinfluenceamongtheciti-
zensofotherstates.Theysubsidizepublicationsand journalists;they
awardcontracts;theyopenthedoors tobusinessopportunities;they
endowacademicchairs;andtheycontributetocharitablefoundations.
Muchofthisactivityisperfectlylegal,and-bybuildinginternational
friendshipsandestablishinghumantiesamongthecitizensofdifferent
states-itmakesanimportantcontributiontoworldpeace.Thegivers
expectnothingspecificinreturn.Butsomeofthisactivityisintendedto
induceforeigncitizenstoundertakespecificacts,toinfluencelegislation,
towinspecialfavors,ortoinfluencedefensepolicy.
Ina democraticrepublic,wheretheresponsibilityforpolicyis sodif-
fusethat,asinthecaseoftheHouseandtheSenate,manyindividuals
caninfluencetheoutcomeofa policy,itis perfectlypossibleforforeign
agents,bybribesandotherfavors,toinducerepresentativestoberespon-
sivetoconsiderationsotherthantheinterestsoftheirconstituentsor
evenoftheircountry.Unfortunatelythesecrecythatsurroundsdiplo-
macy,addedtothecomparativeignoranceofdemocraticvotersaboutthe
subject,ensures thatthemoreforeign policycomes todominate the
politicalagenda,thelesswelldemocracycanwork.
Thisis onereason whytheFoundingFathers wereso pessimistic
abouttheabilityoftheUnitedStatestosucceedinforeignpolicy."Our
formofgovernment,"saidJohnAdamsin18°9,"inestimableasitis,
exposesus,morethananyother,totheinsidiousintriguesandpestilent
influenceofforeign nations."29Washington,whose bitterestpolitical
battleswerefoughtoverforeignrelations,agreed.Heworriedthatfor-
eignerswouldsubornandcorruptthedemocraticprocess."Againstthe
insidiouswilesofforeigninfluence,"hesaidinwordsthatwouldnotbe
welcomedbythelobbyistsandBeltwaybanditswhonowinfestthecity
thatbearshisname,Americansmustbeeternallyvigilant,since"history
andexperienceprovethatforeigninfluenceisoneofthemostbaneful
foesofRepublicangovernment."3°