Democratic Vanguardism

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, transformed the way in which Americans and their leaders viewed the world. The tragic events of that day helped give rise to a foreign policy strategy commonly referred to as the "Bush Doctrine." At the heart of this doctrine lie a series of claims about the need to encourage liberal democracy as the antidote to jihadist terrorism. President George W. Bush proclaimed in a variety of addresses that democracy now represented the "single surviving model" of political life to which all people aspired. In the course of making this argument, President Bush linked his policies to an overarching "teleology" of progress. This discourse suggested that the United States might use force to hasten the emergence of liberal norms and institutions in rogue states. With a sense of irony, some commentators soon referred to the Bush administration's position as "Leninist" because of its determination to bring about the so-called "end of history" today. Yet, surprisingly, these critics had little more to add.

This book assesses in greater depth the Bush administration's claim to comprehend the purpose of historical progress. Developing a concept termed "democratic vanguardism," this study investigates the idea of liberal modernity, the role of the United States as a force for democracy, and the implications of using military intervention in the service of idealistic ends. It examines disputes among political theorists, public intellectuals, and elected statesmen that help to enrich our understanding of the United States' efforts under President Bush to bend history to its will.

Auteur
Michael Harland holds a PhD in history from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Contenu
Acknowledgements
Introduction

1. America at the Vanguard: Democracy Promotion and the Bush Doctrine
   Debating the Freedom Agenda
   Democracy in the Bush Doctrine
   Leninists in the White House?
   Democratic Vanguardism
   Conclusion
2. Assessing History's End: Thymos and the Post-Historic Life
   The Quest for Recognition
   Men without Chests
   Conclusion
3. The Exceptional Nation: Power, Principle and American Foreign Policy
   Exemplarism and Vindicationalism
   The Roots of Exceptionalist Thought
   Exemplarism and the Early Republic
   The Development of Vindicationalism
   The Case of Wilsonian Idealism
   Conclusion
4. The Crisis of Liberal Modernity: Neoconservatism, Relativism and Republican Virtue
   Classifying a Persuasion
   The Strauss Connection
   Responding to Relativism
   Renewing Republican Virtue
   Virtue and Foreign Affairs
   Conclusion
5. An Intoxicating Moment: The Rise of Democratic Globalism
   Democratic Realism and the Rise of Globalism
   History's Penultimate Moment
   Foreign Policy Fusion?
   Conclusion

6. The Perfect Storm: September 11 and the coming of the Bush Doctrine
   A Day of Fire
   Our Mission and Our Moment
   A New Doctrine for a New Era?
   Towards Regime Change
   Conclusion

   Conclusion
   Bibliography
   About the Author