#neoconservatism

Jon Stewart drew a sharp parallel between the Iraq War and current rhetoric around Venezuela, pointing out how the same arguments keep getting recycled by the same political figures. He contrasted past claims that Saddam Hussein was a threat to American life with new warnings that Venezuela’s president is an existential danger, mocking how phrases like do it the easy way or the hard way, chemical weapons threats, terrorists in the region, and promises of democracy and freedom keep reappearing. Stewart said the language is so familiar it feels like shock and awe all over again, just aimed at a new country.⁠ ⁠ He also highlighted how oil quietly sits at the center of the argument, noting Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world, along with gold and rare earth minerals. Stewart pointed out that some politicians openly frame U.S. dominance of the Western Hemisphere as America First, joking that South America literally has America in the name. His takeaway was blunt: when war arguments start sounding interchangeable, people should pause before history repeats itself.⁠

Trump’s inner circle frequently broadcasts its disregard for the idea that America has an obligation to promote universalist, liberal principles on the world stage, leading some to characterize Trump’s new term as a decisive break with the neoconservative outlook of the War on Terror era. Bret Stephens wrote in an August New York Times column titled “Trump Just Reminded Me of Why I’m Still a Neocon” that Trump’s friendliness with Russia and his attitude toward Ukraine shows that “some old fashions,” namely the penchants for moralizing and interventionism, “deserve to be made new again.” Trump allies are happy to endorse this framing, albeit with the value judgment reversed. As Pete Hegseth, Trump’s Secretary of the rebranded Department of War (still officially known as the Department of Defense), put it in May, “The United States is not interested in the moralistic and preachy approach to foreign policy of the past.” Preaching aside, from the beginning, members of the neoconservative class understood the “higher values” for which they claimed to fight not as a set of binding moral standards, but as gifts to people who were ultimately undeserving. America, in this paradigm, went above and beyond the call of duty by intervening abroad. When the recipients of this benevolence failed to react with sufficient gratitude, America was well within its rights, and perhaps even required, to jettison all of its previously high-minded rhetoric and fully embrace the amoral pursuit of raw national interest. The Trump administration hasn’t abandoned the Bush-era foreign policy worldview; its approach represents an extension of the same line of thinking about what America does and doesn’t owe the subjects of its interventions.

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To those currently in power, the U.S. doesn’t even need to claim to uphold higher principles — they would be wasted on the ungrateful. Today’s leaders rarely spout truisms about American values, let alone the rule of law. As Vance said in response to a question about whether bombing alleged Venezuelan “drug boats” in the Caribbean violated due process: “I don’t give a shit what you call it.” In the past, a vice president might have been inclined to conjure up some sort of mealy-mouthed, focus-grouped explanation for such a blatant rejection of international law. With the members of this administration, there is no such attempt. They can speak honestly about American ruthlessness — and expect to be thanked for it anyway.

Conservatism, like liberalism, encompasses a broad range of ideologies and perspectives. These types vary significantly across regions and historical contexts but generally emphasize tradition, social order, and skepticism toward rapid change. Here are some primary types of conservatism:

1. Traditional Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Traditional conservatism values established customs, institutions, and social hierarchies. It stresses the importance of cultural continuity, the wisdom of past generations, and a gradual approach to social change.

Historical Figures: Edmund Burke, Michael Oakeshott.

Key Elements: Respect for tradition, social stability, authority, and moral order.

2. Social Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Social conservatism emphasizes the preservation of traditional family structures, religious values, and moral standards. It often involves resistance to cultural changes seen as undermining societal cohesion or moral integrity.

Key Elements: Pro-family policies, emphasis on moral education, opposition to liberal social policies, and preservation of traditional gender roles.

3. Fiscal Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Fiscal conservatism prioritizes limited government spending, low taxes, and free-market capitalism. Fiscal conservatives advocate for reducing the national debt, minimizing public welfare programs, and maintaining a balanced budget.

Key Elements: Limited government intervention in the economy, support for a free-market system, privatization, and reduction in government spending.

4. Libertarian Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Libertarian conservatism combines a conservative approach to social issues with a strong emphasis on individual freedom and minimal government interference in personal and economic affairs.

Historical Figures: Barry Goldwater, Ron Paul.

Key Elements: Individual freedom, limited government, economic libertarianism, and personal responsibility.

5. Neoconservatism

Core Beliefs: Neoconservatism originally emerged from liberal roots, focusing on an assertive foreign policy to promote democracy and defend national interests. It combines conservative domestic values with an interventionist foreign policy.

Historical Figures: Irving Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz.

Key Elements: Promotion of democracy abroad, support for military strength, a strong national defense, and foreign policy interventionism.

6. Paleoconservatism

Core Beliefs: Paleoconservatism emphasizes nativism, cultural preservation, and limited international involvement. It is skeptical of globalization and often advocates for a return to traditional values, strong borders, and limited immigration.

Historical Figures: Patrick Buchanan, Russell Kirk.

Key Elements: Nationalism, cultural preservation, isolationism, and opposition to globalism.

7. Religious Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Religious conservatism focuses on integrating religious principles, often rooted in Christianity, into public policy and society. This type of conservatism seeks to uphold religiously based moral standards in areas such as marriage, education, and bioethics.

Key Elements: Influence of religious values on politics, pro-life policies, advocacy for prayer in schools, and opposition to secularism.

8. Cultural Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Cultural conservatism emphasizes the preservation of a shared national or cultural identity. It supports policies and values that maintain cultural heritage and resist influences that could dilute or change traditional norms and practices.

Key Elements: Cultural nationalism, preservation of heritage and customs, and resistance to multiculturalism.

9. National Conservatism

Core Beliefs: National conservatism focuses on the importance of national sovereignty, patriotism, and a strong, centralized state to protect national interests. It often advocates for immigration control and protectionist economic policies.

Key Elements: National sovereignty, patriotism, economic protectionism, and restrictions on immigration.

10. One-Nation Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Originating in Britain, one-nation conservatism advocates for a balance between free markets and social welfare policies, aiming to unite different social classes under a shared national identity. It emphasizes social cohesion, support for public institutions, and moderate reforms to reduce inequality.

Historical Figures: Benjamin Disraeli.

Key Elements: Social welfare, unity across classes, economic moderation, and gradual reform to prevent class divisions.

11. Green Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Green conservatism emphasizes environmental conservation and stewardship within a conservative framework. It advocates for protecting natural resources through personal responsibility, market solutions, and sometimes government regulations that align with conservative values.

Key Elements: Environmental conservation, sustainable development, market-based ecological solutions, and conservation ethics.

12. Populist Conservatism

Core Beliefs: Populist conservatism appeals to ordinary citizens, often positioning itself against elite or establishment institutions. It is skeptical of big government, promotes nationalism, and typically advocates for policies that reflect the interests of "the common people."

Key Elements: Anti-elitism, populist rhetoric, economic protectionism, and skepticism toward establishment institutions.

On this viewing, it really struck me how well it seemed to encapsulate the political tenor of the time when it came out, at least from the point of view of my anti-neoconservative college student self. The establishing status quo denouncing godlessness, yelling about terrorists, quashing skepticism, and demanding unity reminds me sharply of how I viewed the spirit of Bush-support back then and almost makes me nostalgic for that ideological playing field (even though my more rational self knows better).