Review: Dangerous Nation

In this book, Robert Kagan tackles the common misperception that the United States was isolationist in the 19th century. He examines the particulars of U.S. foreign policy from the colonial era to the Spanish-American War, quoting a huge range of sources, from diplomats to newspapers to presidential memos and diaries.

He also shows how the U.S. has always been considered a dangerous nation -- its ideals made it anathema to European countries, particularly after the Napoleonic Wars. These ideals also proved dangerous to itself, splitting the country over the issue of slavery.

Sometimes, domestic politics prevented the U.S. from acting honorably in its commitment to democracy. Even Thomas Jefferson worked to abolish trade between the U.S. and Haiti, lest the free blacks "infect" slaves with notions of rebellion. [Another source]

The interplay between idealism, expansionism, sectionalism, racism, political party competition, and contradicting views of federalism played out over the course of the next hundred years in ways the founders could never have imagined.

In the end, Kagan proves his point convincingly -- the United States was anything but isolationist in the 1800s. Though there were periods when domestic politics diverted its attentions inward, the U.S. was constantly on the move, bumping into other nations and negotiating a course for "progress."

For a person who likes both history and international relations, this book is indispensable.