Gaddis, an acclaimed historian of Cold War history and U.S. diplomatic history, is a professor of history and political science. He is the author of several books and will release his most recent book, "Surprise, Security and the American Experience: Reflections on September 11th" in 2004.
During the lecture Gaddis explained how our assumption of safety was shattered by the events of 9/11, causing a "national identity crisis." Gaddis made parallels between 9/11 and the torching of the White House by the British in the War of 1812, noting that 9/11 "wasn't the first time smoke rose."
"The Capitol was also the target of Flight 93, which was valiantly retaken by the hostages … history rarely repeats itself, but in this instance, it came damn close," said Gaddis.
Gaddis pointed to the burning of the White House as "a shocking and embarrassing" event that would shape U.S. diplomacy for nearly 130 years, until the U.S.'s entry into World War II. Gaddis argues that in the wake of such a blatant breach of security, the only response can be "to take the offensive and overwhelm all sources of danger," which is exactly what the U.S. did under the Monroe Doctrine, which John Quincy Adams authored.
Gaddis explained that, under the principles of preemptive unilateralism and hegemony, Adams defended his vast borders by expanding them with force. Most notably, continued Gaddis, Adams defended, and exploited, Andrew Jackson's military incursions into contested Florida (in which great numbers of Native Americans died defending their homes). He also defended Jackson's execution of European-backed revolt organizers. Both decisions serve as examples of Adams' bellicose foreign policy.
Gaddis pointed out that the strategy of "isolationism" is a misnomer, because the U.S. never tried to isolate itself completely. Gaddis indicated that the U.S. wanted no "big powers" nearby, and no European powers to have footholds in the Western hemisphere. The U.S. took steps to make that happen, right up until World War II, at which point it could no longer decline its growing power and had to enter the conflict. "In the Cold War climate that followed, power was easier to maintain [it was] easier to get a country into an alliance and not have it be perceived as coercion," Gaddis said.
Gaddis came full circle to 9/11, defining it as another "shock" in our collective psyches of American citizens, which corroded the "habit of self restraint." For a while, according to Gaddis, some saw Osama bin Laden and his "nothing more than a gang" as a greater threat than unilateral American action. But "the vision has faded," and Bush now seems to be threatening to adopt the strategies the U.S. employed for so many years in this country.
"A return to the 19th century tradition of foreign policy does not play well at the start of the 21st … it is much more fashionable today to despise the methods the U.S. employed to dominate the continent," said Gaddis.
"But we wouldn't want to give it all back, would we ... [This is] a conflict in our American personality … to condemn the method and enjoy the benefits … We must acknowledge the moral ambiguity of our history … before we too quickly condemn our ancestors' practices, we must first ask, 'What would we have done, if we were them, back then in 1812?' and then ask, 'How comfortable will your grandchildren be someday about what we do?'" said Gaddis. "I think the second question is a great vaccination against too great a sense of self-righteousness."
During the question-and-answer session, Gaddis fired back at a "War for Oil" argument by emphasizing our half-century long support for Israel, a country with no wealth of natural resources.
"I would be suspicious of too simple, too reductionist arguments," said Gaddis, who likened the War on Terror to the frontier crisis. "Al Qaeda is a gang taking advantage of the dark side of globalization which has itself eroded state authority."
Andre Deckrow '06 agreed with Gaddis. "I completely agree with Gaddis on the U.S. support of Israel. It has created problems in the U.S.'s ability to obtain oil from Arab nations for as long as Israel has been around," said Deckrow. "Obviously, it's not simply economics; on some level there is a principled stand that the U.S. is taking. Gaddis did really well pointing that out."
Jonathan Bailyn '07 said he enjoyed the lecture, but didn't agree with Gaddis' comparison of the contemporary political climate to that of 130 years ago.
"Though America was hegemonic in the Western Hemisphere, its influence ended there," said Bailyn. "Today, America deeply influences, if not controls, every city, from London to Tokyo to Hong-Kong, and every political institution, from NATO to the U.N. to the WTO. Its military might is unprecedented."