I found this link to a mirror of an old article by Walter Russell Mead in “The National Interest.” In the article Mead argues that there are four schools of American cultural identity. The three that many people are familiar with (the Hamiltonian, Wilsonian, and Jeffersonian schools of thought); and a fourth one he calls the Jacksonian school of thought. The article then goes on to describe some of the shared values and ideas of the Jacksonians’, and how they affect everything from American foreign policy to how we pick our candidates. These values are decidedly “American” and help to explain the particular singularity of American politics, especially when interacting with the rest of the world.
The article is pretty freaking interesting on a number of points. First, because it was written in the winter of 1999-2000; almost two full years before 9/11. In spite of this the article has the feeling of being written after 9/11 or even during the 2004 presidential election. And Second, the article (although not entirely so) reverberated with a great deal of accuracy in my own world views and political though process. Great article and one that I would recommend to anyone interested in politics.
\”At times, we must fight pre-emptive wars. There is absolutely nothing wrong with subverting foreign governments or assassinating foreign leaders whose bad intentions are clear.\”
Wow – this guy was a sooth sayer!