[Provincialism and Internationalism in American Foreign Affairs]

Reporter: Oliver Osuna

Speakers: · Bruce Cumings, Chaired Professor at the

On the first day of the 2016 World Knowledge Forum 2016, Professor Bruce Cumings, Chaired Professor at the University of Chicago, outlined the history of American isolationism and the impossibility of a policy shift to return to such a past – regardless of any presidential candidates’ promises. Professor Cumings split American foreign policy between what he called two main tendencies: the current tendency of internationalism, or “Atlanticism,” and the second, isolationism, or “provincialism.” America’s “Atlanticism” was what he called America’s focus on Europe, particularly its special relationships with the United Kingdom and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). “Provincialism,” on the other hand, was initiated by George Washington’s farewell address and set the precedent for more than 140 years. Professor Cumings explained that Washington wanted America to have commercial relations with Europe, but not delve into their political affairs. He believes that this notion of looking inwards is still present within the minds of many Americans. One such example he provided of this was the fact that only 35% of Americans possess a passport, with only 4% of them using it for regular travel. Even that travel is mostly to Canada, Mexico, or other places in the Caribbean. “I had a cousin who fought in World War II and actually liberated a death camp,” stated Professor Cumings. When he visited Europe, his American cousin told him, “There’s no point of going to Europe when you can just buy beautiful postcards of Europe.” Professor Cumings claimed American foreign policy was monopolized by a handful of New Englanders coming from such institutions as Yale or Princeton, former and current Secrataries of State, John Foster Dulles and John Kerry. This lead to what Professor Cumings calls the rise of “provincialism,” which he said was exemplified by a newspaper named The National Republic, published between 1925-1960. At its height, it extolled fascist and anti-Semitic sentiments. One such statement has been revived in presidential nominee Donald Trump’s slogans: America First! “Donald Trump doesn’t have any campaign. He doesn’t have thousands of young people knocking on doors, asking for their vote.” said Professor Cumings. What he does have is a rhetoric that echoes these tendencies of provincialism, according to the professor. However, for all of Trump’s calls to make allies “pay their fair share” and retract what Professor Cumings calls the “silent American empire” consisting of more than 900 bases around the world, Trump would be unable to do so. “This is an archipelago of empire, an empire hidden in plain sight,” said Professor Cumings. “The leading power bases its military in its major economic competitors – The UK, Japan, Germany, Italy, South , Spain; among others.” What Trump fails to recognize, according to Professor Cumings, is that most of these countries pay their “fair share” of the defense cost. In addition to this, he noted, it is especially beneficial to America because it allows them to have secure trading partners. Moreover, Professor Cumings pointed out two major obstacles in the face of Trump’s plan to bring American troops home: the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex. “I don’t think he will win,” said Professor Cumings. “He’s too lazy to be a real fascist and he switches his positions time and again, without rationale or justification.” So who is the better candidate for the people of Asia? Although Professor Cumings believes that Trump could not go through with most of his actions, he still believes that if he were to be elected, it would cause an “earthquake” that would affect as well. “I wanted to emphasize that Donald Trump is a very different candidate than any candidate since 1945,” said Professor Cumings. “He wants to pull up the roots of the American position since 1945.” “Hilary Clinton, on the other side, is someone who was molded by the modern order,” a person Professor Cumings described as “a real product of the post war system” and “a real product of the 1990s.” He added that, “Hilary Clinton, no matter what she does, she has the air, the aura of a person from the past.” Professor Cumings also noted that Trump and Clinton as two of the most unpopular presidential candidates in history. Nonetheless, Professor Cumings is hopeful for the Northeastern Asian region, as he describes it as having “fantastic chances” in the future. He compared the region to other major centers of the world which he described as a “splitting Europe” or the failing Middle East. “This is the most dynamic core in the world’s economy, stretching from the American West Coast in Silicon Valley around to , Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing, down to Singapore and Hong Kong.” He added, optimistically, that he believes this region will be “the dynamic core of the world economy for the rest of the century.”