What is neo-conservatism?

[MrFun]

I could Google for information on this, but I thought I would give Apolytoners on here, who are neo-conservatives themselves, a chance to preach their gospel.


So what is the basic philosophy/ideology of neo-conservatism? How did this develop -- or what was its origin(s)?
Who were past individuals who were prominent neo-conservatives -- who are some of the contemporary individuals?

If you can think of anything else to add, please do so.

[CrONoS]

Deleted. (read too fast your question)

[Bill3000]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Conservatism

Last time I checked, Wikipedia isn't google.

[CrONoS]

So:
Most prominent figures, I think we can agree with:

Leo Strauss
Paul Wolfowitz(who was a student of Leo Strauss)

And Fukiyama??

"...no bloody or unbloody change of society can eradicate the evil in man: as long as there will be men, there will be malice, envy and hatred, and hence there cannot be a society which does not have to employ coercive restraint." - Leo Strauss

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Strauss

[CrONoS]

Oh yeah:
« Let us beware of pursuing a Socratic goal with the means, and the temper, of Thrasymachus. »
(Leo Strauss, Natural Right and History)

[MrFun]

thanks, Bill -- here is what I guess is the key statement from the link:

"Indeed, domestic policy does not define neoconservatism — it is a movement founded on, and perpetuated by an aggressive approach to foreign policy, free trade, opposition to communism during the Cold War, support for beleaguered liberal democracies such as Israel and Taiwan and opposition to Middle Eastern and other states that are perceived to support terrorism."

[CrONoS]

:
Pejorative use

The term is frequently used pejoratively, both by self-described paleoconservatives, who oppose neoconservatism from the right, and by Democratic politicians opposing neoconservatives from the left. Recently, Democratic politicians have used the term to criticize the Republican policies and leaders of the current Bush administration.

---
Similarly, many other supposed neoconservatives believe that the term has been adopted by the political left to stereotype supporters of U.S. foreign policy under the George W. Bush administration. Others have similarly likened descriptions of neoconservatism to a conspiracy theory and attribute the term to anti-Semitism. Paul Wolfowitz has denounced the term as meaningless label, saying:

"[If] you read the Middle Eastern press, it seems to be a euphemism for some kind of nefarious Zionist conspiracy. But I think that, in my view it's very important to approach [foreign policy] not from a doctrinal point of view. I think almost every case I know is different. Indonesia is different from the Philippines. Iraq is different from Indonesia. I think there are certain principles that I believe are American principles – both realism and idealism. I guess I'd like to call myself a democratic realist. I don't know if that makes me a neo-conservative or not."

[Agathon]

A bunch of reasonably well-educated middle-aged white wimps who think they have the right and obligation to tell everyone else what to do.

That about sums it up.

[Ted Striker]

That and they are nutjobs with no grasp or reality

[BeBMan]

AFAIK, Fukuyama has moved away from the neocons in recent years.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

also opposed by neo-liberals.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by BeBro
AFAIK, Fukuyama has moved away from the neocons in recent years.

No, he's moved away from the Bush administration. He's still a neoconservative.

[Fake Boris]

Neoconservatism is an ideological cover for actions commited under necessity of realpolitik.

[Zkribbler]

Ah, a Machiavellian foreign policy.

That would make neo-conservatives, neither conservative nor particularly neo.

[Ben Kenobi]

The definition I use for a neocon as opposed to other conservatives puts the main distinction on foreign policy.

If you believe that your nation needs to intervene in the affairs other nations for the purposes of spreading democratic ideas, that is considered to be a neo-con idea. The interesting thing is that you can see precisely that argument from Wilson who was most certainly not a conservative. Hence the term neo-con, as you are importing an ideal from classical liberalism that you need to spread democratic ideas to other nations.

Secondly, there is the difference in fiscal policy. A neo con tends to believe that a deficit is ok, whereas many other conservatives are very concerned by the current deficit spending, and wish to see the government decrease in size rather then increase.