Who exactly are the NeoCons?

[fujiyama]

Now the term "neocons" is thrown around an awful lot, but who are these people? Is this the Wolfie, Perle, Kristal crowd (I guess you could include some of the Christian fundies in this crowd as well)? How does their plan compare with the Rummy, Cheney, Rice, crowd?

The reason I split them up is because the former are in large part worried about the security of Israel. The latter has a lot of oil deals with the Saudis. Often don't these interests conflict? After all, we have people like Kissinger, Baker and Scowcroft who aren't NeoCons per say, but are every bit as corrupt as the other
group(s)...

How do the dynamics of these groups work?

[La_Serpiente]

1. Well

I think traditional conservatives are isolationalists themselves. They don't like the WTO, NAFTA, UN, etc., and also don't like get into wars. Pat Buchanan, Taki Theodoracopulos, and Scott McConnell are some of the "traditional" conservatives. They have a magazine called The American Conservative that was recently created to highlight the differences between the neo-conservatives and traditional conservatives.

Now why are the neo-conservatives so dangerous? Well, they also incorporate their disgust of the UN, but at the same time, are hellbent on empire. That means they aren't accountable to anyone except the people of the US.

I also think that traditional conservatives do not really care about the state of Israel. I know that Pat Buchanan feels that we should not be dealing with Israeli problems. Now, I am only using him as an example, but he does not encompass the entire traditional conservative movement.

[drfemoe]

2. This is a great special feature from csm

Names names, photos, great list of "Spheres of Influence" .. more ..

http://csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/index.html

Neocon 101

Don't know much about neoconservatism?
Learn basic concepts.

Interactive quiz
Are you a "neocon"?

Birth of a superpower
Timeline of key events in the history of US foreign policy.

In their own words
Remarks from leading figures.

Spheres of influence
Neocon think tanks, documents, and periodicals.

[ima_sinnic]

3. quasi-fascists who herd around the philosophy of Leo Strauss

see this Jim Lobe article from the May 9, 2003, Asia Times:
Neocons dance a Strauss waltz

For some basic info see the links in my web site (in my sig line), especially the "U.S. Wars and Foreign Policy" page

[Lexingtonian]

4. not well.

Pat Buchanan's take:

http://www.amconmag.com/03_24_03/cover.html

[moz4prez]

7. oh, man . . .

Pat Buchanan's great! I wish he was in the running!

[stewert]

5. Try This...........

Start with the members of PNAC:

Project Directors

William Kristol, Chairman
Robert Kagan
Bruce P. Jackson
Lewis E. Lehrman
Mark Gerson
Randy Scheunemann

http://www.newamericancentury.org/aboutpnac.htm

Then look at who signs their letters:

Letter to Clinton in 1998 -

Elliott Abrams
Richard L. Armitage
William J. Bennett
Jeffrey Bergner
John Bolton
Paula Dobriansky
Francis Fukuyama
Robert Kagan
Zalmay Khalilzad
William Kristol
Richard Perle
Peter W. Rodman
Donald Rumsfeld
William Schneider, Jr.
Vin Weber
Paul Wolfowitz
R. James Woolsey
Robert B. Zoellick

http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqclintonletter.htm

Look who signed this letter:

Second Statement on Post-War Iraq, March 28, 2003

http://www.newamericancentury.org/iraqstatement-032803.htm

Then add Dick Cheney too.

Try these too:

Gary Bauer
Max Boot
Frank Carlucci
Eliot Cohen
Midge Decter
Thomas Donnelly
Frank Gaffney
Daniel Goure
Bruce P. Jackson
Donald Kagan
Robert Kagan
Lewis E. Lehrman
Tod Lindberg
Rich Lowry
Daniel McKivergan
Joshua Muravchik
Danielle Pletka
Norman Podhoretz
Stephen P. Rosen
Gary Schmitt
Randy Scheunemann
William Schneider, Jr.
Richard Shultz
Henry Sokolski
Chris Williams
R. James Woolsey

http://www.newamericancentury.org/defense-20030123.htm

Forgot a Couple:

Jeb Bush
Steve Forbes
Dan Quayle

http://www.newamericancentury.org/statementofprinciples.htm

[La_Serpiente]

6. Here is a test

find out your foreign policy views

http://www.csmonitor.com/specials/neocon/quiz/neoconQuiz.html

Make sure you are not a neo-conservative.

[Alex88]

8. "Neo-cons" are virtually all chickenhawks as well

and most of them are former Democrats who left the Party when it became anti-war in the early 1970's. Reagan then brought them in his administration because they were hawks.

[Michael Harrington]

9. That's an important facet of their identity...

Track down a copy of Sid Blumenthal's The Rise of the Counter Establishment and it'll tell you a great deal about them.

[Loonman]

10. Liars, thugs and thieves

The bottom feeders.

Clinton haters to the core who thrive on war and bloodshed.

They should be banned, like asbestos.

[reachout]

11. The term

"Neocon" gets misused more than just about any other political grouping. There are more neocons in the Republican Party, but there are a good number of neocons who name themselves Democrats. I even see neoconservative views expressed on this board on a fairly regular basis.

The original neocons were primarily far-left and Jewish (often Trotskyites). They followed Kristol in his journey from the far-left to the far-right. Younger neocons never made that journey and had their political awakening during the Reagan years, remaining staunchly in his ideological camp. People like Rumsfeld and Cheney are closely allied with the neocons, but they are not truly neocons themselves.


You probably have neoconservative leanings if you meet the following criteria:


- Socially liberal on many domestic issues

- Believe that the United States is primarily a force for good in the world

- Believe that as a force for good, it is the responsibility of the U.S. to spread democracy and freedom - through force if necessary

- Belive that the U.S. should not have its hands tied by multilateral institutions that prevent it from acting for the good of all

- Believe that Israel is a force for good in the Mideast and are unwavering in your support for it


I've encountered numerous people who are vitrolicly anti-Bush who hold most or all of the above positions. The argument seems to be more about the method of implementation than underpinning of the philosophy itself. Of course, some of these people are most upset with the paleocon elements of Bush and his administration such as Ashcroft who seek to limit their personal freedoms.

Neoconservative philosophy is the underlying force of American foreign policy at this point in history. Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton and Bush Jr. have all engaged in it, albeit with varying degrees. Regan, for example, talked tough but was less directly interventionist than Clinton and far less than Bush Jr. Aside from the presidency, the majority of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, but into the basic tenets of the neocon worldview - at least on foreign policy.