neoconservatism

is a muscular liberalism, advocating on the one hand free markets, free trade, corporate power, and elite governance, and on the other, intrusive government action to regulate citizenry in the name of public security and traditional morality as well as expansive economic and military power, ostensibly for the purpose of promoting freedom, free markets, and democracy around the world.

Contemporary neoconservatives are not 'conservative' in the classical sense, as defined by 18th-century thinkers like Edmund Burke, who expressed a fondness for aristocratic virtues, bemoaned radical social change, disliked republican principles, and distrusted progress and reason. Rather, the neoconservativism of Reagan and Thatcher resembles a muscular liberalism that is often associated with political figures like Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, or Winston Churchill. In general, neoconservatives agree with neoliberals on the importance of free markets, free trade, corporate power, and elite governance. But neoconservatives are much more inclined to combine their hands-off attitude toward big business with intrusive government action for the regulation of the ordinary citizenry in the name of public security and traditional morality. Their appeals to 'law and order' sometimes drown out their concern for individual rights albeit not for the individual as the building block of society. In foreign affairs, neoconservatives advocate an assertive and expansive use of both economic and military power, ostensibly for the purpose of promoting freedom, free markets, and democracy around the world. (steger)

is an ideology which, on the international scene, organizes everything around the need to resist the Soviet design and the state of Israel is regarded as an especially important Western commitment.

'What is it that makes a neoconservative anyway' Typically, the product is an exsocialist, often an ex-Marxist, who has passed through some testing experience of disillusion with the Communist or Moscow line. In domestic affairs, he or she will profess the virtues of some kind of welfare capitalism. On the international scene, the neoconservative organizes everything around the need to resist the Soviet design'everything including the possession of and the readiness to use nuclear weapons. The state of Israel is regarded as an especially important Western commitment. 'Excesses' on our own side in the Kulturkampf are not so much excused as expected, and discounted in advance.'

is really a mentality, a mentality of refined pessimism about politics and rancid pessimism about human nature.

'The neoconservative movement is really a mentality, a mentality of refined pessimism about politics and rancid pessimism about human nature. As such, it is more or less impervious to new evidence or new experience and increasingly obsessed with refighting battles of the past'such as the great triumph over George McGovern or the stab in the back over Vietnam or the moral depredations of the counterculture. It has also been centrally preoccupied with power and more explicitly concerned with its cultivation and exercise than any comparable intellectual movement.'

is looking at its acolytes, a group of New York Jewish intellectuals who decided that duty, honor, and country were superior, morally and mentally, to the bleeding-heart allegiances of their boy and girlhoods.

'If you take the version of neoconservatism offered by its acolytes, you discover a group of New York Jewish intellectuals who decided that duty, honor, and country were superior, morally and mentally, to the bleeding-heart allegiances of their boyand girlhoods. If you take the version offered by its critics, you stumble on an old Anglo-Saxon definition of the upper crust: 'A load of crumbs held together by dough.' They just might have set out to do good, but there is no question that they ended up doing well.'

is, according to its critics, the upper crust who just might have set out to do good, but there's no question that they ended up doing well.

is a faction willing to take the risks of making war on the ossified status quo in the Middle East. Insofar as this is the case, it can be described as many things, but not as conservative.

'A faction willing to take the risks of making war on the ossified status quo in the Middle East can be described as many things, but not as conservative.'

is contrasted with neoliberalism in that neoconservatism could occur in any country while neoliberalism could, really, only occur in a country like America, which combines abundance with angst and has a vast population of overqualified graduate students, some of whom wish they had, after all, served in Vietnam.

'Cynics have compared the neoliberal tendency to the neoconservative one. I think that comparison must be counted as unfair. For one thing, neoconservatives are much more rigorous. For another, they are much more interesting. Neoconservatives believe in original sin, while neoliberals believe in the enervating effect of public spending programs.... Neoconservatism could occur in any country. Neoliberalism could, really, only occur in a country like America, which combines abundance with angst and has a vast population of overqualified graduate students, some of whom wish they had, after all, served in Vietnam.'

neoconservatism, n.Definitions

neoconservatism