The Neocon Renaissance

After a severe Republican defeat on Dec. 12, 2006, Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense and neocon “in chief” announced his resignation. That gesture was interpreted as the end of an era, and many media outlets published the political obituary for the neocon movement, the advisory group that advised Bush to follow a foreign policy based on the expansion of democracy at gunpoint.

Fed up with the violent occupation of Iraq that seemed to have no end, the North American public had buried an ideology hated in the rest of the world due to its demonstration of the U.S.’ military superiority complex. Even the incredibly stubborn George Bush appointed a pragmatic secretary of defense like Robert Gates and recalibrated his foreign policy toward a more realistic direction.*

However, scarcely four years later, listening to the potential Republican presidential candidates and other conservative leaders talking about the Libyan crisis confirms that the neocon ideology is in indefatigable health within Republican ranks. Just as much as McCain has, Gingrich, Palin and Pawlenty have sharply criticized Obama for his hesitation upon launching an offensive against the leader, Gadhafi.

The only politicians with a national profile in the Grand Old Party to call into question the necessity of military intervention in Libya have been the veteran Senator Richard Lugar, an old-school realist, and Ron Paul, the aged iconic Libertarian who advocates isolationism for foreign policy.

The fact that the former, in the crosshairs of conservative activists, faces a difficult reelection next year, and the latter is ridiculed as a sort of “Don Quixote” by part of the Republican “establishment,” shows the extent to which the battle for party majority is found in favor of the neocons.

In fact, more than being a revival of neocon ideology among the conservative ranks, the reality is that it never really died. Do not forget that it was John McCain, one of the greatest defenders of neoconservatism on Capitol Hill, was who won the Republican primary of 2008 and that, with the exception of Paul, none of his opponents openly questioned instances of his main neocon principles.

Despite the simple caricature of neocons depicted as a bunch of cowboys of the 21st century — as is commonly seen in the international press — the reality is that this movement has been able to embody certain principles and myths within the very political DNA of the United States, and it is because it seems logical that a mere military setback has not been able to eradicate it from the map.

The fundamental myth of the country as being like “the beacon on the hill,” the light that guides the progress of humanity, is perfectly embodied with the neocon crusade to expand democracy in the world. Likewise, its reliance on U.S. military power is a reflection of the characteristic optimism of the American public of the notion that there is no opponent that can withstand its skill and tenacity.

Now, we’ll have to see if all these presumed White House hopefuls who criticize Obama as being timid have the “guts” to stick the country into a new military adventure in a foreign country, including occupation, or if everything is just rhetoric to score points among the more conservative bases.

*Translator’s Note: Realist in this article refers to the school of thought from International Relations doctrine.