The term “Neocon”
has been thrown about recently, almost always pejoratively. It usually refers to a non-descript,
secretive group, usually without names, who influence American foreign policy
in general and the Bush Administration, in particular.
Take, for
example, an August 2003 comment by Liberal Democrat, Howard Dean: “(Bush is) an
engaging person, but I think for some reason he’s been captured by the
neoconservatives around him.” (U.S. News and World Report: Aug.11,
2003)
Bush is
“captured” as if prey. Is it not
possible that this philosophy (Neoconservatism) was his own? And Dean mentions no names. Who are these Neocons? If by “Neocon, one means the preemptive use
of force by a super power to support democracy and fight murderous regimes,
then one would have to say that Rumsfeld, Cheney and Gen.Richard Meyers are
Neocons. And what Republicans would not
qualify? The isolationist Republicans
like Pat Buchanan. (It is not at all
clear that these isolationists would have supported the war on Hitler.) And all but one of the members of Congress
voted to attack the Taliban in Afghanistan.
This action was consistent with Neoconservatism.
What is the
origin of Neoconservatism? It emerged
from the ranks of liberal Democrats who became disillusioned with the politics
of liberalism, the welfare state and the deterioration of American
culture. Some have suggested that the
“godfather” of Neoconservatism is Irving Kristol, a New York intellectual. He said that a Neocon is a liberal who was
“mugged by reality.”
Let’s listen to
the words of Kristol himself from The Neoconservative Persuasion; The Weekly
Standard, Aug.25, 2003:
“But it is only
to a degree that neocons are comfortable in modern America. The steady decline in our
democratic culture, sinking to new levels of vulgarity, does unite neocons with
traditional conservatives—though not with those libertarian conservatives who
are conservative in economics but unmindful of the culture. The upshot is a
quite unexpected alliance between neocons, who include a fair portion of
secular intellectuals, and religious traditionalists. They are united on issues
concerning the quality of education, the relations of church and state, the
regulation of pornography, and the like, all of which they regard as proper
candidates for the government’s attention. And since the Republican party now
has a substantial base among the religious, this gives neocons a certain
influence and even power. Because religious conservatism is so feeble in Europe, the neoconservative potential
there is correspondingly weak.”
So you begin to
see the thoughtfulness and subtlety of the Neocon philosophy. Hardly something which qualifies as
conspiratorial. It is a cheap shot for
commentators or talk show hosts to toss out terms like “a cabal of Neocons” or
suggest an unhealthy manipulation by Neocons.
It says volumes that “Neocon” is used so much—almost always
pejoratively—and its complex and reasoned philosophy is never in my own experience,
discussed openly and in depth.
(Those interested
in its philosophy can google “Irving Kristol” or visit the Weekly Standard
website www.weeklystandard.com. )
If you look
carefully, you will find a reasonable philosophy which stresses strong defense,
personal responsibility, leaner, more effective government, free market,
support of democracy throughout the world and the notion that a superpower has
a responsibility to use that power for good when it can.
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