Neoconservatism

I just read the article After Neoconservatism by Francis Fukuyama. It really helped me sort out my disorganized mess of ideas about U.S. foreign policy and why the Neocons (in power today) went down the wrong path. I have been on the fence about whether Neocon idealism is the way the U.S. should participate in the world.. after reading the article I think the ideals are sound but the current implementation is all wrong. Here are the major points of the (long) article and why I now think this way...

Why Iraq made sense (to a Neocon)

Neocons at the end of the cold war had:

1. a concern with democracy, human rights and, more generally, the internal politics of states
2. a belief that American power can be used for moral purposes
3. a skepticism about the ability of international law and institutions to solve serious security problems
4. a view that ambitious social engineering often leads to unexpected consequences and thereby undermines its own ends.

The issue was that neocons have trouble reconciling #2 with #4. How do you use American power to meddle without the drawbacks of unexpected consequences? (like a democratically elected Theocracy) The sudden, dramatic, full-victory end to the cold war shifted the balance.. American morality would trump the unexpected consequences.

Democracy not really the answer

One of the truly enlightening points of the article challenges the Neocon assumption that all people want freedom and democracy. Fukuyama states that democracy is actually just a byproduct of what all people really want which is modernization. Interesting slant. Freedom/democracy comes out of the drive for modernization and allows a country to stay modern. This viewpoint confirms statements like "you can't force freedom and democracy on someone.." or "freedom cannot be forcefully applied to a country." I agree but still think we can help countries see the value in modernization but it won't be easy.

What is the answer?

For me the answer is the faciliation of modernization through non-military means. When are we going to learn that violence sometimes works but usually doesn't? The answer is long-term and moves slowly.