Two groups that do not like each other much. -------------------------------------------------------- Neoconservatism and paleoconservatism are names of popular political movements, and popular political movements are identified in terms of the substance of the beliefs they promote regarding the issues of the day. Whether either can legitimately claim to draw sustenance from what I call “classical conservatism” -- an intellectual phenomenon -- depends on the types of reason the adherents of each provide for the positions they hold. That is, only if the substance of their beliefs reflects a worldview constituted in large measure by some combination of any of the forgoing ideas that have been enduring features of conservative thought can the proponents of either camp make the case that they are genuinely “conservative.” Neoconservatism American Interventionism & American Exceptionalism Neoconservatives are distinguished, first and foremost, by their unbridled and unrivaled support for using the American military for the sake of promoting “Democracy” throughout the world. Only if the governments of the world are democratically constituted, the reasoning goes, will there be world peace, for democracies do not wage war against one another. America, neoconservatives think, has a unique role to play in this crusade for “Democracy,” for it alone among the nations of history was founded on those very “rights” that democracies are instituted to protect. Thus, their advocacy of “American interventionism” reflects their belief in “American Exceptionalism.” -------------------------------------------------------- usconservatives.about/od/jackkerwickcommentary/a/Kerwick-49.htm
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 07:50:35 +0000
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