Francis "End of History" Fukuyama declares Neoconservatism dead

[Odin]

Neocon architect says: 'Pull it down'


NEOCONSERVATISM has failed the United States and needs to be replaced by a more realistic foreign policy agenda, according to one of its prime architects.

Francis Fukuyama, who wrote the best-selling book The End of History and was a member of the neoconservative project, now says that, both as a political symbol and a body of thought, it has "evolved into something I can no longer support". He says it should be discarded on to history's pile of discredited ideologies.


In an extract from his forthcoming book, America at the Crossroads, Mr Fukuyama declares that the doctrine "is now in shambles" and that its failure has demonstrated "the danger of good intentions carried to extremes".

In its narrowest form, neoconservatism advocates the use of military force, unilaterally if necessary, to replace autocratic regimes with democratic ones.

Mr Fukuyama once supported regime change in Iraq and was a signatory to a 1998 letter sent by the Project for a New American Century to the then president, Bill Clinton, urging the US to step up its efforts to remove Saddam Hussein from power. It was also signed by neoconservative intellectuals, such as Bill Kristol and Robert Kagan, and political figures Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and the current defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

However, Mr Fukuyama now thinks the war in Iraq is the wrong sort of war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

"The most basic misjudgment was an overestimation of the threat facing the United States from radical Islamism," he argues.

"Although the new and ominous possibility of undeterrable terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction did indeed present itself, advocates of the war wrongly conflated this with the threat presented by Iraq and with the rogue state/proliferation problem more generally."

Mr Fukuyama, one of the US's most influential public intellectuals, concludes that "it seems very unlikely that history will judge either the intervention [in Iraq] itself or the ideas animating it kindly".

Going further, he says the movements' advocates are Leninists who "believed that history can be pushed along with the right application of power and will. Leninism was a tragedy in its Bolshevik version, and it has returned as farce when practised by the United States".

Although Mr Fukuyama still supports the idea of democratic reform - complete with establishing the institutions of liberal modernity - in the Middle East, he warns that this process alone will not immediately reduce the threats and dangers the US faces. "Radical Islamism is a by-product of modernisation itself, arising from the loss of identity that accompanies the transition to a modern, pluralist society. More democracy will mean more alienation, radicalisation and - yes, unfortunately - terrorism," he says.

"By definition, outsiders can't 'impose' democracy on a country that doesn't want it; demand for democracy and reform must be domestic. Democracy promotion is therefore a long-term and opportunistic process that has to await the gradual ripening of political and economic conditions to be effective."

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=266122006

[Oncle Boris]

Wow. Glad to see he has some sense of integrity

[Zkribbler]

... Mr Fukuyama now thinks the war in Iraq is the wrong sort of war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

but other than that...

[Rufus T. Firefly]

So the guy who said history was over now says neoconservativeism is dead? Damn! Looks like neocons will be with us for a very long time to come.

That being said, he doesn't actually say it's dead -- just that it's really, really stupid (brain-dead, if you will). To which many Polytubbies can respond with a resounding, "Duh!"

Still, calling Neoconservativism a farcical version of Leninism (and quoting Marx on history repeating in the process) gets him a big

[Zkribbler]

Neocoms are commies! Neocoms are commies!

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Neocoms are commies! Neocoms are commies!

Well one of the founders was a Trotskyite. Blame che for the Iraq War if it makes you feel better.

[Elok]

Nah, that doesn't work. Ever since the end of the Cold War, I just can't seem to blame the commies for anything important with a straight face. Now, when some cookies go missing from the cookie jar, well, you'd better believe my finger will be pointing at the Comrades.

[DAVOUT]

By definition, outsiders can't 'impose' democracy on a country that doesn't want it; demand for democracy and reform must be domestic. Democracy promotion is therefore a long-term and opportunistic process that has to await the gradual ripening of political and economic conditions to be effective.

Irak should receive recognition for this useful lesson given to the US.

[Agathon]

Going further, he says the movements' advocates are Leninists who "believed that history can be pushed along with the right application of power and will. Leninism was a tragedy in its Bolshevik version, and it has returned as farce when practised by the United States".

So he's trying to blame Lenin by association for what a bunch of American hyper-capitalists do.

He should just quit his job and go work at McD's.

[The Emperor Fabulous]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Well one of the founders was a Trotskyite. Blame che for the Iraq War if it makes you feel better.

Actually, I prefer to blame Bush

[Ninot]

From my studies of Fukuyama, this was an inevitable conclusion for him.

[Az]

Death to Fukuyama, long live huntington.

[VetLegion]

The other way around. Fukuyama has some good points, while Huntington just plain sucks

[Az]

your mom.

[Spiffor]

Damn, if Fukuyama declares neoconservatism dead, then it'll be around for ages

[Az]

It's like the CIA.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by DAVOUT
Irak should receive recognition for this useful lesson given to the US.

That lesson will be forgotten in less than 20 years.

[Az]

I don't think that this lesson is true, anyway...

[alva]

which many Polytubbies can respond with a resounding, "Duh!"

I'm glad you typed it as I couldn't be bothered.


So, now what? He's gone and invent a new scheme, a new game? A new way to **** up the world?

Nice hobby...

[Gangerolf]

Francis Fukedyomoma

heh

[BeBro]

Yeah, and when I posted something like this nobody believed me *oppressed*

[Gangerolf]

So, no Democratic Tsunami then?

[Arrian]

So the guy who said history was over now says neoconservativeism is dead?

[Kontiki]

I can see how it would take years filled with long hours of research and contemplation to come up with this nugget of wisdom:

By definition, outsiders can't 'impose' democracy on a country that doesn't want it; demand for democracy and reform must be domestic. Democracy promotion is therefore a long-term and opportunistic process that has to await the gradual ripening of political and economic conditions to be effective.

[Ecthy]

Huntington, Fukuyama...

What is it with popular science nowadays? Won't anyone care for some real scientists?

[Arrian]

What is it with popular science nowadays?

You have to ask?

-Arrian

[MrFun]

** waits for Imran to give a heart-felt, moving eulogy for neo-conservatism

[Last Conformist]

Didn't Fukuyama say the same thing about a year ago?

[Last Conformist]

"The most basic misjudgment was an overestimation of the threat facing the United States from radical Islamism," he argues.

Considering that radical Islam is stronger in Iraq now than under Mr Hussain, shouldn't that be an argument for the Iraq War?

[BeBro]

Originally posted by Last Conformist
Didn't Fukuyama say the same thing about a year ago?

He started disagreeing during of before the recent war in Iraq IIRC.