Now What?

Is there life after Neo-conservatism? Fukuyama knows! Or so he claimed three years ago. Where were we then, and where are we now? A misguided "benevolent hegemony," was it? Did Francis Fukuyama have it right? Is that what those past eight years have really been about? I don’t know---just asking.

And is Neo-conservatism dead?

There are those, like Juan Cole, here, who claim that it died in Gaza:

The Gaza War of 2009 is a final and eloquent testimony to the complete failure of the neoconservative movement in United States foreign policy. For over a decade, the leading figures in this school of thought saw the violent overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the institution of a parliamentary regime in Iraq as the magic solution to all the problems in the Middle East. They envisioned, in the wake of the fall of Baghdad, the moderation of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the overthrow of the Baath Party in Syria and the Khomeinist regime in Iran, the deepening of the alliance with Turkey, the marginalization of Saudi Arabia, a new era of cheap petroleum, and a final resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on terms favorable to Israel. After eight years in which they strode the globe like colossi, they have left behind a devastated moonscape reminiscent of some post-apocalyptic B movie…

The truth is that Neo-conservatism is an idea, a philosophy. It’ll always be around, in some form or another.


There will always be in the world small, bitter people ready to follow some leaders who promise them peace and happiness through justified violence and the killing of scapegoats.

Ah! I see that you have recognized John Gast's famous painting. How perceptive of you. You're right: it is an allegorical representation of Manifest Destiny. Like all of the paintings displayed here at the Wulfshead, it’s an original. The one at the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles is but a mere reproduction, of course. The Wulfshead prides itself in its art collection and the contrasts highlighted therein between the historical and the mythological. Don't be afraid. Take a closer look. Careful, now; the bartender is staring at us. Just don't let him catch you touching anything. Observe how the different economic activities of the pioneers are highlighted. There is a strong emphasis on the telegraph and the emerging new forms of transportation. The Indians and wild animals are fleeing...