To understand these actions, we only need to remember which American political faction now controls the levers of Executive power, the Jacksonians.

Trump drew a red line. Iran crossed that line, more than once.

Military machismo aside, Suleimani is a man of war who has killed Americans, and Iran walked directly and deliberately into this mess.

Trump drew a red line. Iran crossed that line, more than once. Iran’s supreme leader tweeted that Trump “can’t do anything” about it; Trump proved him wrong. Military machismo aside, Suleimani is a man of war who has killed Americans, and Iran walked directly and deliberately into this mess. Ian Bremmer

The Trump administration has escalated the level of violence in Iraq in response to Iranian provocations. Many pundits considered it a political ploy by Trump to win the 2020 election. At the very least, others consider it to be an act unmoored from any comprehensive foreign policy. Both these concerns miss the point. To understand these actions, we only need to remember which American political faction now controls the levers of Executive power, the Jacksonians.

Under the Jacksonian Tradition, Iran or its proxies may attack Saudi oil facilities or even shoot down a U.S. drone, however, you kill an American, attack our Iraq Embassy, and then tweet that Trump “can’t do anything” about it, welcome to Jacksonian foreign policy (or ‘why bring a knife to a knife-fight if you can bring a drone?’).

An observer who thinks of American foreign policy only in terms of the commercial realism of the Hamiltonians (think Bush ‘43), the crusading moralism of Wilsonian transcendentalists (think Obama ‘44), and the supple pacifism of the principled Jeffersonians (think Carter ’39) would be at a loss to account for American ruthlessness in the exercise of hard power, including war.

The United States has done this before. One of the chief elements in American success has always been the will and the means to compel its enemies to yield to its demands. The political tradition that has driven much of this controlled violence (from atomic bombs to Agent Orange) is the Jacksonians.

The Jacksonian tradition and politics are indispensable elements of American strength. Although Wilsonians, Jeffersonians and the more passively constructed Hamiltonians do not like to admit it, every American school needs Jacksonians. They are the backbone of our military. If the American people had exhibited the fighting qualities of, say, the French in World War II, neither Hamiltonians nor Jeffersonians nor Wilsonians would have had the opportunity to have much to do with shaping the postwar international order.

The Jacksonian patriotism, and the martial spirit behind it, gives the United States immense advantages in international affairs. After two world wars, the nations of the European Union are unwilling to pay for their own defense let alone pay the price in blood and treasure for a global presence.

Only five of the 28 members exceed the guideline (requiring each member spend at least 2 percent of its GDP on national defense) — with the United States leading the way at 3.6 percent. The other members that exceed the guideline are Greece, Estonia, Britain, and Poland. In 2016, median spending by NATO members on defense was 1.21 percent of GDP. Washington Post

For a comprehensive account of Jacksonian values and beliefs and how they affect the United States, read The Jacksonian Tradition: And American Foreign Policy by Walter Russell Mead in The National Interest, №58 (Winter 1999/2000).

The United States has a set of foreign policy traditions organized around four distinct schools of thought. Named for American political leaders: Hamiltonianism, Wilsonianism, Jeffersonianism, and Jacksonianism function on several levels. Their principles reflect regional, economic, cultural, and social interests; affirm political and moral values; and represent both foreign and domestic policies. Foreign policymaking is informed by these various approaches and, in turn, these approaches inform the democratic process.

Hamiltonian Realism. The Hamiltonian perspective on foreign policy is commercial and financial in its orientation.

Wilsonian Idealism. The Wilsonian tradition asserts American responsibility for global leadership. Fundamental to Wilsonian foreign policy is the responsibility to build a world order based upon principles of democracy and the protection of human rights.

Jeffersonian Libertarianism. The Jeffersonian tradition distrusts a centralized government. Foreign policy is an extension of a domestic policy intended to maximize personal liberty through minimal government intrusion.

Jacksonian Populism. Like the Jeffersonians, Jacksonians prefer state and local to federal power. Jacksonian ideology is an expression of the social, cultural, and religious values of the American public. Fundamental to this approach is the belief that it is the government’s responsibility to safeguard physical security and economic well-being, but to do so in a way that minimizes infringement on personal liberty. (Mead, 2002)

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