What exactly is Neoconservatism?

[ck4829]

People throw neoconservatism around, and some may not know what it is about.

Well, what is Neoconservatism about then, right?

1. 'Noble' Lies
This should be the thing about Neoconservatism that stands out the most. To them, it is ok to lie if it enhances your position. Take the Neocon led Office of Special Plans for example, they ONLY looked at the intelligence that made it look like invading Iraq was a good idea, going as far as making up things like referencing companies that don't even exist. Some neoconservatives can be very blunt about it, Abram Shulsky, the director of the Office of Special Plans, wrote in 'Silent Warfare: Understanding the World of Intelligence', that "truth is not the goal" of intelligence operations, but "victory".

2. The Ends justify the Means
"You've got to break some eggs if you want an omelet", this is probably a statement that most, if not nearly all, Neoconservatives would strongly agree with. Look at Iraq, it's spiralling down very quickly, and no amount of Republican Senators in flak jackets guarded by Apache helicopters can convince any normal person that it is getting better, because it is not. Humanitarian Crisis, Civil War, and Mass Exodus, but yet in the Neoconservative Mind, "Mission Accomplished".

3. Abnormal Alarmism
Neoconservatives seem to press the 'panic button' only when it is in THEIR best interest. Compare the Neoconservative hysteria on the lead up to the Iraq War to the reaction to Hurricane Katrina. Very different reactions, one to a problem that didn't exist and was incorrect, another to a problem that was real, was serious, and killed many, many people.

Knowing this, is it safe to have Neoconservatives influence the government or public policy in any way?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Excellent definitions

which shows exactly why neocons are dangerous to our nation. Their agenda is their own, and not in the interest of the nation--and they will do anything to get what they want. K& R.

[frogcycle]

2. Read 1984; substitute "neocon" for Big Brother

it is a mindset that government should be a body that rules the masses for its own benefit. It is the exact opposite of "government of the people, by the people, for the people"

It says destroy social programs, eliminate the middle class. It says the feudalism of medieval times was "the good old days."

It is the resumption of capitalism run amok from the end of the 19th century, when the robber barons were fighting the nascent union movement, which, thankfully, succeeded, and managed to create the rise of the American middle class. The Reagan administration sought to bust unions, eliminate antitrust law enforcement, deregulate all industry, eliminate any and all trade regulations...

The goal is to create a super-wealthy aristocracy that uses sweatshop labor to further enrich itself.

It uses doublethink to rationalize whatever it wants to do.

[valerief]

3. PNAC

http://www.newamericancentury.org/

[TahitiNut]

4. "Might Makes Right"

They repudiate the paleoconservative stance against "foreign entanglements" and employ military force as a primary tool for enforcing corporate colonialism. They repudiate the paleoconservative stance against deficit spending and use the federal credit card with near abandon. They repudiate the paleoconservative/libertarian stance against "big government" and support abridgments of civil liberties and massive increases in law enforcement - but only those laws regulating individual social behavior, not business behavior.

[Rydz777]

5. Yours is a good analysis. I would add the factor of Leo

Strauss, the "Philosopher of Deception." Jim Lobe has written:

"Many neocons like Paul Wolfowitz are disciples of a philosopher who believed that the elite should use deception, religious fervor, and perpetual war to control the ignorant masses."

[LeftishBrit]

6. I think it mainly means people who are hawkish and imperialist on foreign policy/defense issues...

whether or not they are right-wing on domestic issues. Thus, an American neo-con is like a very, very outmoded, old-style British conservative. In my opinion, Blair represents this 19th century imperialist British attitude, and tagged onto Bush as the only way of becoming involved in Empire now that we no longer have one ourselves.

The sort of neo-cons that hang around Bush tend to be right-wing on domestic issues as well; but I think Reagan's entourage included some hawkish Dems who were not necessarily right-wing when the Cold War and 'spreading American influence' were not involved.


'Knowing this, is it safe to have Neoconservatives influence the government or public policy in any way?'

Well, no - but unfortunately one can't totally prevent this without becoming a one-party state. In a democracy, there's always a risk of the bad guys winning.