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Review the history of the development of exceptionalism in the United States. American exceptionalism has experienced the evolution from "being alone" to "global intervention". "Isolationism" and "interventionism" are two aspects of American exceptionalism, which are always intertwined in the process of its historical development. On September 4, 2018, Harvard University professor Joseph Nye published an article in the US "Compilation" to discuss this.
Original text: "Joseph Nye: Two aspects of American exceptionalism"
Zhao Rongyao/Compiled
Picture | Network
The United States should maintain the current international order. This order has promoted unprecedented prosperity and forged the longest time for the longest war between major powers in modern history. The leadership of the United States contributes to the establishment of this system and is also a key factor in the success of the international order. Although critics point out that the American Order after 1945 is neither global nor always free. But those who agree that although the order is not perfect, it has brought about unprecedented economic prosperity and promoted the spread of democracy.
Such a debate is unlikely to have an important impact on Trump President. Trump has publicly stated in his inaugural speech, "From today on, the United States will be preferred, and the United States will be preferred... We will reconcile with other countries in the world, but the reason we do this is because we understand that all countries have the right to put their own interests first. ."
However, Trump continued to point out, "We do not deliberately impose our lifestyle on others, but hope that we will set an example for others." He made sense. This is a tradition called "City on the Mountain" , with a long historical origin. US Secretary of State John Quincy Adams issued a famous statement on Independence Day in 1821, saying that the United States "do not go abroad to look for demons to eliminate them. She sincerely hopes that everyone will be free and independent. She will be just a defender and supporter of her own freedom and independence."
However, "keeping its own way" and role modeling are not the only moral tradition in US foreign policy, but there is also a tradition of interventionism. The tradition of "interventionism" was prevalent in the 20th century. At that time, Woodrow Wilson was seeking a foreign policy to ensure the security of world democracy. John F. Kennedy called on Americans to protect the world for diversity, but he also sent 17,000 U.S. military advisers to Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has participated in seven wars and military interventions.
Americans often regard themselves as a unique country. The huge number of economy has established the United States as a vital position. We have good reason to believe that if the United States, the largest economy, does not take the lead in providing global public goods, the products that everyone can benefit from will be under-production. This is a source of American exceptionalism. But some scholars have pointed out that the core reason for American exceptionalism lies in its strong liberal characteristics and an ideological vision based on it. Of course, American liberal ideology has had internal contradictions from the very beginning: slavery was written into the constitution. There have also been differences in how Americans promote liberal values in foreign policy.
The United States' neighbors are weak, and the United States is protected by two oceans. It mainly focused on the westward movement in the 19th century and tried to avoid being involved in the power struggle that took place in Europe at that time. By the early 20th century, the United States had replaced Britain as the world's largest economy, and its intervention in World War I broke the balance of power. By the 1930s, many Americans began to think that interfering in Europe was a mistake and began to pursue isolationism. After in World War II, US Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman began to believe that the United States could no longer remain in seclusion and fully launched global participation in . For more than 70 years since then, the United States has pursued an interventionist policy. It was not until 2016 that Trump became the first presidential candidate to openly question the policy.Every US president after Trump will face a fundamental question: Can the United States promote democratic values without military intervention and reform? At the same time, can the United States play a leading role in establishing and maintaining the required institutions without promoting hegemony ?
article was originally published in the 7th edition of the 1625th issue of the Social Sciences Journal. It is prohibited to reproduce without permission. The content in the article only represents the author's views and does not represent the position of this newspaper.
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