American Sense of Divine Destiny

America's style of national security policy is founded in the long entrenched philosophy that America itself is morally superior to its compatriot states. The style of American national security policy is one of assumed moral clarity and justification. It is understood that America's national security is a matter vital importance to the whole of the human race, not only to Americans, because the fundamental principles upon which the democracy operates will ultimately benefit the whole of the human family. The national security interests of the United States are defined in terms of good and evil, right and wrong. The fundamental assumption underlying American national security policy is that America's interests are inherently good, and any who would oppose those interests are inherently evil.(Hook 2008, 9)

The style is not confined to national security interests alone, but permeates American society as a whole. Its very foundation, as explained by Hook and Spanier, is defined in terms of the good people of the new world in conflict with the evil nature of the political old world (Hook 2008, 9). In this supposition, the people are believed to be peaceful in nature and will naturally go about minding their own business, making a living, raising families, and enjoying life, if only left alone by the state to do as they deem appropriate. It is the people who are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. It is the people with whom the ultimate authority resides to determine appropriate courses of action. It is the people who will select leaders, make laws, define justice, declare and wage war.

The power ultimately resides with the people because the belief is that the people are inherently good. The state on the other hand, is inherently in need of “checks and balances” in order to counter its inherent tendency toward abuse of power. In this supposition, the state is inherently evil, hungry for ever more power, lustful of control, inhuman, uncaring, unempathetic, immoral, and untrustworthy. Indeed, far from being trustworthy, it takes the people's constant and careful watchful eye to ensure that the state serves the people, rather than the opposite. Again, it is the people who must ensure the continued righteousness of the government and stewardship of power.

This being the case in the new world, the American style of approaching national security policy assumes the consumption of the old world by inherently evil state entities. As such, the conflicts of the old world presuppose inherently evil origins; evil leaders with evil designs and evil objectives. With this in mind, it is easy to assume that the American democracy governed by inherently good people of the new world would have only the best and most moral of intentions, the least of which would be beneficial for all the human race; and any who would oppose those universally beneficial intentions can only have universally harmful intentions themselves.

The American style of national security policy is a symptom of a deeply rooted American sense of divine destiny. This destiny is the result of 400 years of Judeo-Christian permeation through the fabric of American society. It is neither a good thing nor a bad thing, but just the way it is. It is what has made America America. Without it, America would likely have been much more like the world from whence it came.


Hook, Steven W. & John Spanier. American Foreign Policy Since World War II. Washington D.C.: CQ Press. 2008.