JEDDAH, 22 June 2003 — At the beginning of the 20th century, the United States was not a world power. The political, military and economic power in the world was in Europe. Look at what Europe did with that power. The past century was the bloodiest in world history — well over 100 million people were killed in wars. Most of the 20th century wars from which this destruction has emanated was Europe.
As we begin the 21st century, the United States is the pre-eminent power in the world — politically, economically and militarily. It stands as a colossus over the world with the collective power it has today, easily verifiable from events since 9/11 . The question now is: What will the United States do in or to the world with the power it has today? A quick answer will be, “See what it is doing to and in the Islamic world.” But, this would be a naïve answer. To predict more accurately what the US will be up to in the next two decades, we should be aware of three schools of foreign policy thought and action which the US has displayed during the past 100 years: Isolationism, adventurism bordering on imperialism, global partnership under American leadership.
Isolationism is a recurrent theme in American attitudes toward the world. Charles Lindbergh before World War II and Pat Buchanan are both representatives of this school. “Stop the world, I want to get off” could be characterized as the theme of this camp.
Adventurism bordering on imperialism has formed another school of thought best represented by Teddy Roosevelt who sent the US Navy’s Great White Fleet on a world tour to show the world American power at the start of the 20th century. His foreign policy motto was “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” President Lyndon Johnson and now George Bush II are more recent manifestations of this school of thought and action.
Global partnership under American leadership was the predominant way America has interacted with the world in the 20th century. The presidents most associated with this policy are Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman and John F. Kennedy. This school says to the American people and the world that we are all on one globe, closely inter-connected and must work together for mutual peace and prosperity. However, there are constantly huge forces arrayed against this school — isolationism on the one hand and adventurism on the other. You can clearly see the most recent assault on this school from the camp of adventurism bordering on imperialism.
Because the world is a global village and because the United States has a great tradition and a wonderful heart, the people of America, with the help of like-minded people around the world, will soon put America back on the track of global partnership under American leadership sooner than most expect. But — and there is a big ‘but’ — the world, and especially those who are at cross purposes with today’s America, should help with their words and actions to encourage American foreign policy to change track — and change it will.
My life-time friend, Dr. Thomas Brewster Manton, a descendant of the third US President Thomas Jefferson (1801-9), best known for drafting the Declaration of Independence (1776) and fighting against imperialism as well as for sanity and humanity in American politics, is soon going to launch the Jefferson Forum On World Affairs in the United States. This forum is designed to bring American and world leaders together to forge new bonds of cooperation, friendship and partnership between the American people and the world, in line with Jefferson’s legacy and thereby help the United States abandon any “adventurism bordering on imperialism” in its future foreign policy.
Let us all wish Dr. Manton the best of luck in attempting to make American foreign policy more humane and conscientious. He has accomplished that once before by being instrumental in getting America to change its foreign policy toward the People’s Republic of China.
