Upon rereading this book, I am now inspired to write another review. Before I start, let me say that this book is incredibly well-written and it is a shame that it was released when it did (right before 9/11), becoming swamped beneath Terrorism books and having been virtually forgotten. I was able to find it at most Barnes & Noble stores and I'm sure other places carry it as well. This is a book that anyone interested in politcal philosophy in the United States, not to mention foreign policy, should pick up. Here goes...
Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How it changed the World
By Walter Russell Mead
There are two main themes to this book:
1. That United States' foreign policy has historically been distinct from that of Europe. Whereas Europe's foreign policy can be characterized as Continental Realism (foreign policy as a chess game), the United States' foreign policy has traditionally been driven more by economics. He also says that while American foreign policy was not quite as active before the World War II it was still making headway with accomplishments including the French alignment during the Revolutionary war, The Treaty of Versailles, U.S. territory expansion, the Panama Canal.
2. The book's main point, the identification of four flavors of U.S. foreign policy, is handy and seems more accurate than its traditional two-way rivals:
liberal vs. conservative, or
idealistic vs. realistic. According to Mead, the foreign policy of the Unites States has always been driven by four "schools" of thought. They are the: Jeffersonian (isolationist), Jacksonian (populist; the "sleeping giant"), Wilsonian (globalist with a humanitarian bent, i.e. the U.N.), and Hamiltonian (globalist with an economic bent, i.e. the World Bank).
Mead states that
"While the American system is far from perfect, each of the four schools is able to combine effectively with the others...As the kaleidoscope of American foreign policy turns through the years, the schools combine recombine in one new coalition after another". The four "schools" Mead presents have compelling narratives that resonate in all of us yet are somewhat in conflict with each other: Are we free traders? Do we agitate for a better world? Should we keep ourselves to ourselves? If we fight, should we utterly demolish our enemies?
Mead helped me understand the "other side", and be much more sympathetic to these points of view. Whenever I ponder US foreign policy questions, I now begin by asking myself how Mead's schools align WRT the question. I often find myself guessing which "school" my fellow participants in discussion are among. Furthermore, I find Mead's schools are quite relevant and interesting when applied to domestic issues.
Another impressive part of the book has nothing to do with the four schools. In the first two chapters, Mead deals with the foreign policy tradition of the United States. They are nothing short of revelatory as Mead exposes this mistaken notion that the U.S. lived a blessed existence in the nineteenth century, largely free from foreign policy concerns. Instead, the truth was quite different as Americans - both the public and policymakers - were obsessed with foreign policy, particularly their economic dependence on Britain and securing a place geopolitically. It was less of a primary concern, but nonetheless of constant one.
Having said all of that, I found it very difficult to make may way through this book the first time around, and found it much easier this second time. I don't know why it is, exactly, but I think that while the subject matter was interesting, the style made it difficult to read large portions of the book in a single sitting. However, that should not take away from the obvious intelligence and research that went into this book.
In conclusion, I do believe this book to be one of the most well written and broad minded books I have ever read. I stumbled upon it on accident about two years ago and am very glad I read it a second time. It just gets better each time you sit down to read it. I suggest it to everyone!
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