Theory of Manifest Destiny: reviewing the cycles of American history and the Trump government

A recorrente controvérsia sobre o significado da América demonstra os dois fios trançados desde a fundação do país: a ideia dos Estados Unidos como “experimento democrático”, carregado de riscos e problemas, e o “destino manifesto”, o fervor patriótico que conduz os americanos a sua autoproclamação como povo eleito, incumbido de uma missão divina. Este artigo analisa, no plano geral, as manifestações do destino manifesto na experiência americana e, em particular, no governo de Donald Trump. O estudo foi delineado conforme as premissas de um ensaio, por conta de sua característica discursiva, argumentativa e expositiva. Utilizando os métodos de pesquisa exploratória e revisão bibliográfica, examinou-se os ciclos da história americana nos quais são confrontadas de forma alternada essas duas tendências. Discutiu-se as evidências e o nível de envolvimento do destino manifesto no governo Trump em termos religiosos, econômicos e culturais. Investigou-se um amplo encadeamento de percepções, desde as críticas a respeito da Teoria da América até a compreensão do destino manifesto como princípio justificador do processo de expansão territorial e ideológico dos EUA. A pesquisa constatou, na política interna e externa do governo Trump, tanto a narrativa messiânica do destino manifesto como alguns dos fundamentos geopolíticos e econômicos que caracterizam os governos conservadores americanos. Concluiu-se que o ar de originalidade e a ostentação desse governo precisam ser relativizados, pois suas ações, incluindo as evidências do destino manifesto, constituem aspectos retornáveis dos ciclos da história americana. Palavras-Chave: Ciclos da história americana; Destino manifesto; Trumpismo; Teoria da América; Liberalismo e Conservadorismo.The reocurring controversy over the meaning of America demonstrates the two strands twisted since the country's founding: the idea of the United States as a "democratic experiment" laden with risks and problems and the "manifest destiny", the patriotic fervor that leads Americans to their self-proclamation as an elected people, entrusted with a divine mission. This article looks at the general plan, the manifestations of destiny manifest in the American experience and in particular, in the administration of Donald Trump. The study was designed according to the premises of an essay, due to its discursive, argumentative and expository characteristics. Using the methods of exploratory research and literature review, we examined the cycles of American history in which these two trends are confronted alternately. The evidence and the level of involvement of the destiny manifested in the Trump administration in religious, economic and cultural terms were discussed. A wide range of perceptions was investigated, from criticisms about the Theory of America to the understanding of the manifest destiny as a justifying principle of the process of territorial and ideological expansion in the USA. The research found in the Trump administration's internal and foreign policy, both the messianic narrative of manifest destiny, as well as some of the geopolitical and economic foundations that characterize American conservative governments. It was concluded that the air of originality and ostentation of this government needs to be relativized, since its actions, including the evidences of the manifest destiny, are returning aspects of the cycles of America history.Keywords: Cycles of American history; Manifest Destiny; Trumpism; Theory of America; Liberalism and Conservatism

Striking a balance: The centrality of the Hamiltonian/Jeffersonian Debate in American foreign policy development

Foreign policy is the face a nation wears to the world. The aim is the same for all states--the protection of national integrity and interest. But the manner in which a state conceives and conducts its foreign policy is greatly affected by national peculiarities. {dollar}\sp1{dollar} The focus of this thesis is to illuminate the national peculiarities that have put a unique face on American foreign policy. I will examine the two basic tenets, or impulses, that have characterized U.S. foreign policy development: the Jeffersonian, or idealist, impulse and the Hamiltonian, or realist, impulse. My purpose is to show that each impulse is inextricably intertwined in the political psyche of the American people and their leaders. It is my contention that the key to successful foreign policy is finding the right balance between these two essential threads of American political history and tradition. ftn{dollar}\sp1{dollar}Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Cycles of American History, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1986), p. 51

Human Rights and National Minorities in the United States

Three human rights myths serve to limit the debate over human rights in the United States and bias our perspective in dealing with the human rights claims of citizens from other countries. The first myth is that human rights belong solely to individuals and protect them largely from negative actions by the state. The second myth declares that civil and political rights are primary while economic, cultural, and social rights are secondary. The third myth asserts that the only rights that count are legal in nature and that moral or personal claims are invalid or irrelevant. Even a brief historical analysis reveals that all three myths are just that -- myths. The group rights of corporations are protected under the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, economic rights have been upheld over political claims as witness the Supreme Court\u27s Dred Scott decision, and legal debates over rights have often obscured the political, personal, and identity questions that many rights arguments revolve around. Only a conception of human rights that views them as the gradual empowerment of people or groups or the deconcentration of power removes them from the realm of an elite debate among experts and allows for cross-cultural comparison and action

Competition in the presence of aging: order, disorder, and synchronized collective behavior

We study the stochastic dynamics of coupled states with transition probabilities depending on local persistence, this is, the time since a state has changed. When the population has a preference to adopt older states the system orders quickly due to the dominance of the old state. When preference for new states prevails, the system can show coexistence of states or synchronized collective behavior resulting in long ordering times. In this case, the magnetization $m(t)$ of the system oscillates around $m(t)=0$. Implications for social systems are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures, lette

When Inertia Generates Political Cycles

In this note, we propose a simple infinite horizon of elections with two candidates. We suppose that the government policy presents some degree of inertia, i.e. a new government cannot completely change the policy implemented by the incumbent. When the policy inertia is strong enough, no party can win the elections a consecutive infinite number of times.Policy inertia

When Inertia Generates Political Cycles

We propose a simple infinite horizon of repeated elections with two candidates. Furthermore we suppose that the government policy presents some degree of inertia, i.e. a new government cannot completely change the policy implemented by the incumbent. When the policy inertia is strong enough, no party can win the election a consecutive infinite number of times.Political Cycles, Inertia

THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF POLITICS AND THE U.S. FOOD SYSTEM

Agricultural and Food Policy, Political Economy,