The missionary spirit has always hovered over the U.S.'s relations with far- off, backward lands. In the mid-19th century, New England ministers went abroad to save souls. A century later, foreign aid technocrats preached the virtues of hydroelectric dams and other megaprojects. Now a new generation of globe-trotting officials is spreading the gospel of environmentalism.
The crusade has encountered resistance and stirred resentment. Emil Salim, Indonesia's Minister of Environment, asks how Americans can berate tropical nations for deforestation when U.S. trade barriers discourage development of small industries that might provide an alternative source of exports.
Third World spokesmen may simply be...