Successes And Failures Of Neo Conservatism

For hundreds of years, the idea of enforcing or duplicating a nation’s beliefs throughout the world has been present. Recently people have come to know this practice or ideology as neo-conservatism. Neo-conservatism is a prevalent ideology in the American political system. It is a term so specific to the United States that Webster’s Dictionary defines a neo-conservative as “a conservative who advocates the assertive promotion of democracy and United States national interest in international affairs including through military means” (Meriam-Webster Dictionary). This idea of American democracy supremacy in international affairs can be found in both dominant parties of the United States. Many believe that neo-conservatism became a dominant foreign policy ideology during and just after World War II. While neo-conservatism has seen its share of successes, it has also seen many failures and embarrassments.
To understand the foreign policies of neo-conservatism, one must first understand its domestic beliefs. Neo-conservatives are inherently more liberal in their economic beliefs than traditional conservatives. They believe in a need for organized economic reform and want the government to have a large presence in this reform (Silver). Many neo-conservatives are against the idea of a pure-capitalistic market structure; they believe it
Neo-conservatives believe that all military power that is available should be used to further the nation’s cause. In America specifically, neo-conservatives strive to promote democracy across the globe, using whatever military means possible (Silver). Many modern neo-conservatives even want America to increase her policing capabilities across the globe (Hunter). Neo-conservatism often strives to increase military spending, with the hopes that those military powers will be used to promote American ideologies around the globe