Are you a Neoconservative?

from JoeUser Forums
I was on a political forum recently, and this quiz caught my eye. I know that quite a few little quizzes have been posted to the forums and in a lot of blogs, but given a lot of the discussions I've seen here, it seemed very appropriate.

Are you a Neoconservative?

My results said that I could be categorized as being one of many:

Liberals…

Are wary of American arrogance and hypocrisy
Trace much of today's anti-American hatred to previous US foreign policies.
Believe political solutions are inherently superior to military solutions
Believe the US is morally bound to intervene in humanitarian crises
Oppose American imperialism
Support international law, alliances, and agreements
Encourage US participation in the UN
Believe US economic policies must help lift up the world's poor

Historical liberal: President Woodrow Wilson
Modern liberal: President Jimmy Carter
Which shouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone... especially me.... although I don't agree with everything in the above list.... because the realist category also has a lot I agree with as well.

Realists....
Are guided more by practical considerations than ideological vision
Believe US power is crucial to successful diplomacy - and vice versa
Don't want US policy options unduly limited by world opinion or ethical considerations
Believe strong alliances are important to US interests
Weigh the political costs of foreign action
Believe foreign intervention must be dictated by compelling national interest

Historical realist: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Modern realist: Secretary of State Colin Powell


But I guess I can't be both, can I? I mean, a liberal realist? Isn't that a contradiction in terms?
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Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
Seems like I am a realist. =/

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
I am a...

Neoconservative

Neoconservatives…

Want the US to be the world's unchallenged superpower
Share unwavering support for Israel
Support American unilateral action
Support preemptive strikes to remove perceived threats to US security
Promote the development of an American empire
Equate American power with the potential for world peace
Seek to democratize the Arab world
Push regime change in states deemed threats to the US or its allies
Historical neoconservative: President Teddy Roosevelt

Modern neoconservative: President Ronald Reagan
Offworld Trading Company
Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
But do you agree with everything on the list Madine and Baker?
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
I kinda think I am a tad more conservative than the realist description, but I wasn't comfortable with how two-dimensional some of the most conservative options were. I dunno, maybe I am just not a NeoCon, or maybe they tended toward a two-dimensional definition.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top

My result: Realist

Realist

Realists…

Are guided more by practical considerations than ideological vision

  • Believe US power is crucial to successful diplomacy - and vice versa
  • Don't want US policy options unduly limited by world opinion or ethical considerations
  • Believe strong alliances are important to US interests
  • Weigh the political costs of foreign action
  • Believe foreign intervention must be dictated by compelling national interest
Historical realist: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Modern realist: Secretary of State Colin Powell
 
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Liberal

Liberals…

Are wary of American arrogance and hypocrisy
Trace much of today's anti-American hatred to previous US foreign policies.
Believe political solutions are inherently superior to military solutions
Believe the US is morally bound to intervene in humanitarian crises
Oppose American imperialism
Support international law, alliances, and agreements
Encourage US participation in the UN
Believe US economic policies must help lift up the world's poor
Historical liberal: President Woodrow Wilson

Modern liberal: President Jimmy Carter

I'm not surprised, of course.
Reply #8 from PolMach Forums Top
Isolationist
The term isolationist is most often used negatively; few people who share its beliefs use it to describe their own foreign policy perspective. They believe in "America first." For them, national sovereignty trumps international relations. Many unions, libertarians, and anti-globalization protesters share isolationist tenets.
Isolationists…

* Are wary of US involvement in the United Nations
* Oppose international law, alliances, and agreements
* Believe the US should not act as a global cop
* Support trade practices that protect American workers
* Oppose liberal immigration
* Oppose American imperialism
* Desire to preserve what they see as America's national identity and character

Historical isolationist: President Calvin Coolidge
Modern isolationist: Author/Commentator Pat Buchanan

but i also believe in some of the Realist

Realist
Realists…

* Are guided more by practical considerations than ideological vision
* Believe US power is crucial to successful diplomacy - and vice versa
* Don't want US policy options unduly limited by world opinion or ethical considerations
* Believe strong alliances are important to US interests
* Weigh the political costs of foreign action
* Believe foreign intervention must be dictated by compelling national interest

Historical realist: President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Modern realist: Secretary of State Colin Powell
Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
Neocon quiz results
Based on your answers, you are most likely a realist. Read below to learn more about each foreign policy perspective.
 
I guess I'm pragmatic
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Isolationist

The term isolationist is most often used negatively; few people who share its beliefs use it to describe their own foreign policy perspective. They believe in "America first." For them, national sovereignty trumps international relations. Many unions, libertarians, and anti-globalization protesters share isolationist tenets.

Isolationists…

Are wary of US involvement in the United Nations
Oppose international law, alliances, and agreements
Believe the US should not act as a global cop
Support trade practices that protect American workers
Oppose liberal immigration
Oppose American imperialism
Desire to preserve what they see as America's national identity and character
Historical isolationist: President Calvin Coolidge

Modern isolationist: Author/Commentator Pat Buchanan

This test was hard for me to do, because I am on the outside looking in - it was still interesting though... I just like being compared with a president name 'Coolidge'

BAM!!!
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top
I never knew Muggaz supported "America First"

I don't agree with the concept of an "American empire" (I have not heard such a thing advocated by neocons) and my support for unilateral action and pre-emptive attacks is certainly conditional, but other than that I do agree with the list.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
Baker: I do agree with you that it is a bit two dimensional... but for a quick quiz, it does an ok job of setting up some positions on the issues.

Madine: I've heard of American Neocolonialism, but never as boldly stated as the "American Empire," although they do call the post-WWII period Pax Americana sometimes, which would seem to correspond to Pax Britannia and Pax Romana.


On the forum I found it on, isolationism was the least common designation, with "liberal" being the top choice. Then again, most of the people who go there skew really left too while there is a tendency for JU to be a lot more centrist-oriented.
Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
It called me a realist.

there is a tendency for JU to be a lot more centrist-oriented.


What happened to all the people claiming we were the propaganda arm of the far right?

I am wondering about this "neo-con" label, though. It seems to me "neo-con" is just a pejorative lable designed by liberals to counter the spiteful use of "liberal" while they attempt to rechristen themselves "progressive."

How is Ronald Reagan "neo-con"? That's the first time I've seen that label applied to him. The people who I've seen at least try to draw a distinction between conservative and neoconservative (presumably they would be different things or why the new label?) put Reagan as conservative and Bush II as neoconservative. Even if I accepted that Reagan originated a new brand of conservativism, Teddy Roosevelt? Teddy Roosevelt?!

If this isn't just a new anti-conservative pejorative, where was "conservative" on the list? Does the Christian Science Montior think "conservatives" don't exist and only neoconservatives live on?
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
From the Wikipedia

"Neoconservatism refers to the political goals and ideology of the "new conservatives" in the United States, characterized by hawkish views on foreign policy and a lesser emphasis on social issues and minimal government than other strains of American conservatism. The "newness" refers either to being new to American conservatism (often coming from liberal or socialist backgrounds) or to being part of a "new wave" of conservative thought and political organization. In both meanings the term is sometimes used pejoratively. This criticism has grown due to the increased controversy over an alleged major neoconservative initiative, the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

More specifically, the term refers to journalists, pundits, policy analysts, and institutions affiliated with policy think tanks such as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and periodicals such as Commentary and The Weekly Standard. The neoconservatives, often dubbed the neocons by supporters and critics alike, are credited with (or blamed for) influencing U.S. foreign policy, especially under the administrations of Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) and George W. Bush (2001-present).

The term neoconservative is somewhat controversial, with many to whom the label is applied rejecting it. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, to the point where many say it is becoming overused and lacking any coherent definition, especially since many so-called neoconservatives vehemently disagree with one another on major issues. (See Criticism of term, below.)"
 And regarding the balance of the JU site... I've been to war gaming sites... trust me... that's where you really find yourself outnumbered if you are on the left.
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
I never knew Muggaz supported "America First"


Hahaha.... Yeah - I am all for "America First" in a race of one ya bastards

I know you guys are the good guys... just sometimes run by bad people... was this Coolidge character any good as a president?

BAM!!!
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
Thank you HistoryIsHere.

to the point where many say it is becoming overused and lacking any coherent definition, especially since many so-called neoconservatives vehemently disagree with one another on major issues.


Well, that part of the definition I can agree with!

Also from that article:

The term was coined by socialist Michael Harrington, who wanted a way to characterize former leftists who had moved significantly to the right -- people he had been deriding as "socialists for Nixon."


Hmmm, Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt, huh? Still don't see it.

Neoconservatives are conservatives who are "new" (neo) to the conservative movement in some way. Usually, this comes as a result from the migration from the left of the political spectrum to the right, over the course of many years.


Well, that one could apply to Reagan in that he was once a Democrat and called himself a bleeding heart liberal. "I bled all over everything," I believe he said once. But he was always anti-communism. Some would say he was Democratic in name only. Hmm.... Still up in the air for me. I don't know enough about Teddy to judge it. It depends on the definition, something even that article can't nail down with any precision. If everybody's making up their own definition of neo-con how can it have any weight?

David Horowitz said,

"Neo-conservatism" is a term almost exclusively used by the enemies of America's liberation of Iraq. There is no "neo-conservative" movement in the United States. When there was one, it was made up of former Democrats who embraced the welfare state but supported Ronald Reagan's Cold War policies against the Soviet bloc.


That sounds about right. "Neo-con" in current usage still looks to me to mainly be a liberal's term of derision for the other side.

I think the poll was seriously flawed in not having a plain vanilla "conservative" category.

Anyway, thanks for the poll link and the answer.
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
was this Coolidge character any good as a president?


Well, he did come up with my favorite quote of all time.

Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful individuals with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

-- Calvin Coolidge


If nothing else he was very quotable.

Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top
Thats a cool quote Gene!!!! I might draw reference to that in the future!!! it's very true!!!

*can you un-blacklist me now mate? I wanted to comment on your blog the other day, but I couldn't )

BAM!!!
Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top

if you want to see what neocon is all about, go back to the site with the test, click on the header illustration to get to the index or home page and then mouse over the little b/w photos til you find paul wolfowitz.   click on his pic to read his bio.  check out the part about the 1992 defense planning guidance draft he co-authored with libby.   (i couldnt quote it cuz its a flash animation)


i was disappointed they didnt include a conservative category altho i think that an even combination of realist and isolationist might come close.

Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top

If nothing else he was very quotable


he didnt waste words, being so taciturn they called him 'silent cal'. 

Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
can you un-blacklist me now mate?


Done.
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
Odd thing is... I've met people who wear the term neoconservative with honour... and actively call themselves that as well. I agree that the term is a little bit overused today, especially being used against things and people which are inherently not neocon, but I don't think its being used in a derisive way, rather as an easy label and a buzzword.
Reply #23 from PolMach Forums Top
I had a professor at my college who proudly called himself a neoconservative and is apparently aligned with Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld. He said that the neocons were somewhat socially liberal Democrats who bolted the Democratic party in 1972 after McGovern became the nominee and the Democrats became the peace party. So they basically believe in an active interventionist foreign policy and pay little attention to domestic politics, but if questioned would probably be centrist or a little left.
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top

Modern realist: Secretary of State Colin Powell
Except that he's unrealistic in the eyes of his comraderie of conservatives--who are by the way neo only because they abandoned their isolationism.

I'd like to think of myself as a New Dealer, blending liberal with pragmatic. 

Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
Except that he's unrealistic in the eyes of his comraderie of conservatives--who are by the way neo only because they abandoned their isolationism.


A nice little article about Powell from the July 23, 2000 Washington Post

The Problem With Powell