- Joined
- Jul 9, 2008
- Messages
- 30,277
- Reaction score
- 17,796
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Centrist
I claim the badge-of-honor of being a Neocon. This is not so much for domestic reasons, although I think there is some overlap. I am firmly fiscally conservative, but I also feel government has a big role to play in development of the country. I just happen to feel that entitlements, which are necessary, must be the purview of state and local government, not federal government. I am totally socially liberal, as far as government attempts to restrict abortion, gay marriage and the like. So, I really am unsure whether I fit domestic policy of Neocons.
It is the foreign policy of some Neocons, and when the term was used for people in support of the Iraq war, was when I said, sure, I'm a Neocon, with pride.
So here you list three things that I totally agree with, although I am a little confused with what you are really saying in point three. I think you are saying that international organizations are completely useless, but you may be saying Neocons are skeptical that they are useless.
- Consistently speak and act with the mindset of a hawk - hell yes. We spend all this money to project power anywhere in the globe and with regards to those countries that don't respect that power, whether they are bad actors, or whether they are in bed with bad actors, we need to set the record straight. Doesn't mean we will act unilaterally if we can build a coalition, but we c an if we need to.
- Wilsonian in ideal - damn right. We need to act on principle and stop supporting bad actors cause they control things which we have interests: oil, Suez/Panama Canal, shipping lanes. In fact, we should focus on promoting our ideals with the very countries that hold our interests, and thus combine our idealism and our realism.
- Skeptical of the complete usefulness of international organizations like the UN - now I think this is saying that the UN is useful, at least partially. The hell with the UN, I say. Between the population of dictatorships and other forms of autocracies and failed states having majority domination in the General Assembly (and the Human Rights Council, etc) and then those countries on the Security Council who are opposed to a hawkish spreading of Democracy, like Russia and China, the UN is a snake pit. I appreciate much more the idea of forming an Organization of Democratic States to spread democracy and act preemptively with political, diplomatic, economic and military power. I believe in selective international organizations.
On your last point, neoconservatives grumble about the UN, but they ultimately see its usefulness. It is but one of many avenues in which they perceive they can influence world affairs (yes, including other international organizations like NATO, etc. that may be more useful for American interests). As Moynihan once said (paraphrase) regarding his confrontations at the UN, "It is where the world meets. Do you want to pull out of the world?"