The Green caldron - University Library

14
The Green Caldron
king ? Diplomacy has changed from secret designs and waltz floor agreements
to a bolder, yet subtler, interplay. American diplomacy is unique in world
history in that it depends on the people for action ; it depends on the ideas
and judgment of more than one or a clique of persons interested in foreign
affairs. It is determined by a diverse body of policy-makers. True, successful
negotiations depend on individual personalities, but no one person has the
power of a Count Metternich. In view of the gradual transformation of
international diplomacy, there should be a renewal of European viewpoint
toward America's policies. There exists a double standard. Another point
not taken into account by critics of American foreign policy is the fact that
many of America's blunders have been chiefly oral. Yes, tactless and thoughtless
words have been spoken, and hasty assessments have been made, but we
have not been involved in invasion and massacre repeatedly. We are as yet
babes in the woods compared to the old hands.
But therein lies our strength and our advantage. Our strength is in our
comparative youth. But our weak point is there also, for we are treated as a
teen-ager often feels he is treated—suspect in all we do or don't do, criticized
for every move. The irony of this situation is that if we had gone the other
way in any given move, such as in being aggressive in Cuba instead of looking
on, we would have been adjudged to be wrong. Because of our comparative
newness to the world scene, in spite of all the good we may do and in spite
of the old-timers' claiming not to notice our youth, we are judged very much
from the viewpoint that we are like teen-agers : we are told that our power
has gone to our heads. I admit it—we are new. We're so new we will be
years trying to get our bearings. It will never be possible to gain perfect
coexistence and stabilization in the world community unless there is a drastic
change in international attitudes. But while we're trying, while we're accumulating
years of experience, we must plunge ahead despite our external and
internal critics ; we can't sit still and expect to move ahead.
Our foreign policy is not the only object of criticism. We are reprimanded
for a lack of culture, dead spiritual life, low morals, selfish use of our wealth,
and even for our wealth itself. Communist name-calling lays on us the blame
for our being fortunate enough to inhabit a fair and rich land. British delicacy
doesn't hide at all British condescension concerning the so-called degeneration
of English. We have not faithfully retained our Anglo-Saxon heritage, nor
our direct British heritage. Other countries chastise us, indeed calumniate
us, for ignoring the valuable cultural heritage of their emigrants in our
land. We are insensitive to their cultural contributions. It is my reasoning
that perhaps we are losing traces of our European ancestry, that European
customs and language are slipping away from us, but that if we are allowing
them to slip away, then they are not very important to us. If they were, we
wouldn't have to work at retaining them. Just as these customs did not spring
into being full-blown, and just as they have mutated, ours can't be expected