Neocon gets thrown around [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/neoliberal/comments/6ffbl3/the_neocons_and_warhawks_are_asleep_quick_post/) a lot. So, I figured I would try to actually explain what neoconservatism actually is. (I bought a digital copy of *International Politics and Zombies* for this, because my physical copy is 6000 miles away, be happy.)


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### What is neoconservativism?

**Neoconservatism** is an international relations theory that shares aspects of both liberalism (Note: liberalism has a slightly different meaning in IR theory) and realist thought.

The core tenets of **liberalism** are: a belief in international trade, international institutions, and democracy. Democracy is included here because democratic peace theory is an important part of liberalism. Democratic peace theory is the theory that [democracies do not fight each other](http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/BABST.ELECTIVE.GOVERNMENT.PDF).

**Realist** thought in international relations is much simpler to explain. Realists believe in an anarchic system, where there is no central authority for states to appeal to in order to resolve disputes. I'll let [Thucydides](http://lygdamus.com/resources/New%20PDFS/Melian.pdf) break it down for you:


>*Instead we recommend that you should try to get what it is possible for you to get, taking into consideration what we both really do think; since you know as well as we do that, when these matters are discussed by practical people, the standard of justice depends on the equality of power to compel and that in fact* ***the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept*.** [emphasis added]



Realism sees states as competing against each other for power. Powerful states push around less powerful states, because they can. So realism doesn't exactly put the same amount of trust in international cooperation that liberalism does. These are not policy prescriptions, they are theories that try to explain how the international system works. I feel I should get that out of the way.  


 

###"But I thought you were doing neoconservatism?"

####*I'm getting there!*


Now that that's out if the way. Neoconservative thought takes ideas from both realism and liberalism. Neoconservatism takes the democratic peace part of liberalism to the extreme. The way I always remember what neoconservatism is, is that neocons believe so fervently in democratic peace theory, that they will use force to install democracies to make the world a more peaceful place.   But that only focuses on the liberalism, what neoconservatism takes from realism is a distrust of international institutions, and powerful states push around less powerful states. It sees international institutions as hindering democracies because of democracy's tendency to adhere to the rule of law (Drezner, pg. 89). Democracies like the rule of law, neoconservatism thinks this holds democracies back from being able to achieve their foreign policy goals, when international institutions create laws that get in the way. Now this is mostly from Drezner, who makes a pretty funny joke about neocons:

>*Provided that the morass of other possible existential threats did not distract them, one would expect neoconservatives to detect the zombie menace at an early stage...*
>*Indeed one concern would be that the initial neoconservative response to a zombie outbreak would be to invade Iraq again out of force of habit.*


Which, while funny, it exposes his feelings about neoconservatism. So we will turn to Max Boot- *The* Neoconservative. Max Boot's *[Myths About Neoconservatism](http://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/archive/rgroups/2007-08-chicago/boot_myths.pdf)* goes into more than just the foreign policy and international relations theory of neoconservatives. It dispels myths about neoconservatism, as the title would suggest. I highly recommend reading it. Neoconservatives get their start in the 1970's as the Democratic party shifted left. Neoconservatives had problems with the way the Democratic party was responding to Russia. They saw the leftward move by the Democratic party as soft on Russia. Boot brings up a quote from Irving Kristol; "Neoconservatives are liberals who've been mugged by reality."

    Neoconservative does not mean extreme conservative, which is how I see it get used on Reddit a lot. Those of us hanging out here [can probably understand](https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/acme/article/view/1342) the frustration when words become completely detached from their original meaning. Boot points out that the word neoconservative has been hijacked to mean "someone who is very hawkish," which I think is at least more accurate than when it gets thrown around on the internet. I usually see it used to mean an extremely socially and fiscally conservative Republican.

 

###"So what do neoconservatives believe?"

    Neoconservatives do not go looking to start wars and engage in regime change for the hell of it. They see states that are not liberal democracies as threats to world peace and stability. They see the United States as a global force for good. The United States should stand up and defend liberal democracy. They see the United Nations as a hindrance to this mission.  Not because the UN is inherently bad, but because the UN can tell the United States to chill. The UN can force the US to sit and watch as despotic regimes commit violent crimes against humanity. When multinational organizations can work with the United States to defend and/or promote liberal democracy, neoconservatives are more than happy, and welcome the support.

    So, neoconservatism is not some crazy extreme right wing ideology, that hates the gays, and women, and minorities. It is a theory of International Relations, that believes in the importance of democracies in maintaining global peace.

 

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######**Sources**

Drezner, Daniel W. *Theories of International Politics and Zombies*. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2011. "Print".

http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/BABST.ELECTIVE.GOVERNMENT.PDF

http://lygdamus.com/resources/New%20PDFS/Melian.pdf

http://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/archive/rgroups/2007-08-chicago/boot_myths.pdf

https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/acme/article/view/1342

Edit: Clarification on somethings.

Edit2: Formatting