[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.Simply put, isolationism impugned Amer-ica s exceptional character.In contrast, the maintenance of America s leader-ship reaffirmed and extended American exceptionalism.As a result, Clinton sadvocacy of U.S.leadership saved America and its exceptionalism from beingdamaged, which in turn kept America s leadership responsibility intact.World War II NostalgiaClinton invoked a second historical analogy when he discussed the aftermathof World War II.For Clinton, this generation s decision to take a leadershiprole on the world stage was the second great moment of decision for U.S.for-eign policy.The president described American foreign policy in this postwarperiod in this way:It will serve us to remember that when World War II was won, profound uncer-tainty clouded the future.Europe and Japan were buried in rubble.Their peopleswere weary.People did not know what to expect or what would happen.But be-cause of the vision of the people who were our predecessors here in the UnitedStates.the path that was followed after World War I was abandoned and in-stead the world was embraced with optimism and hope.71Two things should be taken from this passage.First, Clinton s history lessonwas a parallel to America s foreign policy circumstances in the post ColdWar era.For example, the president expressed that after World War II, pro-found uncertainty clouded the future of U.S.foreign policy.That uncertaintystemmed from the international setting not being fully formed.Prior to the 08_421_03_Ch02.qxd 10/8/08 6:17 AM Page 47Staying the Course as World Leader 47Cold War, there was a brief interregnum where the composition of the inter-national setting was in doubt.Because of that uncertainty the leadership paththe United States would take after World War II was uncertain.A similar un-certainty surrounded American foreign policy after the Cold War because theinternational environment of the post Cold War world was also still formingand America s post Cold War course was in question.After World War II, theleadership path the United States would take was uncertain, just like itspost Cold War leadership path.But, as Clinton noted, the World War II gen-eration chose to lead by embracing the world with optimism and hope which allowed America to assume a leadership position.The president in-voked the memory of World War II to signal to the post Cold War generationthat it should embrace the post Cold War transition period with the same op-timism and hope as its predecessors, thus resulting in an extension of Ameri-can leadership.The president s memory of the aftermath of World War II certainly glossedover various negatives of the postwar period such as the hysteria and paranoiarampant within American political culture because of the Cold War.However,as with his recollections of World War I, the president s purpose legitimizedhis advocacy that the U.S.must continue to lead.His history lesson was nos-talgic to produce a rationale that justifies decisions made in the present.72 Thepresident depicted America s choice to lead after World War II in a positivelight to demonstrate the need for continuing what the Greatest Generation started.For Clinton, this generation stood as a benchmark of foreign policyleadership in a time of transition.His discussion of this generation supplied aclear lesson as to what the United States should do about its place in the in-ternational order.Associating the post Cold War generation with that ofWorld War II sanctioned his principle of continuing its leadership responsi-bility.Clinton implied through his analogy that his generation would continuethe job started by the former generation.In turn, carrying on the station ofworld leader offered a semblance of stability within the international envi-ronment.Second, Clinton s invocation of the World War II generation itself was im-portant because of the cultural impact this generation had on the 1990s
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
