Francis Fukuyama: When we was necons Arthur Koestler: When we was commies Robert Kagan the Leninist Lazar Kaganovich the Stalinist By now you all know that Francis ("The End of History") Fukuyama has filed for divroce from the Kristol/Podhoretz clans. In quite a number of speeches, articles (for example) and newsbites he has made it clear to all the interested parties (including potential employers like Presidents Hillary Clinton and John McCain) that he ain't a neocon, well, not a neocon like Bill Kristol and Robert Kagan, and that he now considers himself now to be what? A "reformed neocon?" A "neo-neocon?" A "neocon-Lite?" In his latest "I'm-not-a-neocon" manifesto in the New York Times, "After Neoconservatism" FF describes himself as a proponent of "realistic Wilsonianism." And in the essay (thankfully not as long as "The End of History) he does quite a lot of brilliant dialectial thinking in expla
Comments
You're analysis in Am con is almost perfect here:
"Israel’s 1982 operation to decimate the PLO in Lebanon led to American recognition of the Palestinian group, and the U.S. campaign to achieve regime change in Iraq and Iran could end up producing a détente between Washington and Tehran. Such is the irony of history. The Israeli invasion of Lebanon destabilized that country and energized its Shi’ite community in an anti-American and pro-Iranian direction, forcing Washington to rely on the moderate Arab states to repair its position in the Middle East. Likewise, the U.S. ouster of Saddam Hussein helped strengthen the position of Iran and its Shi’ite allies, including those in Baghdad. Since the U.S. doesn’t have the military power or political will to achieve regime change in Iran, it recognizes that it now needs to engage Tehran in order to stabilize Iraq and the Middle East." - If you just do some small editing it will be better and more to the point - For example, you wrote, "Since the U.S. doesn’t have the military power or political will to achieve regime change in Iran ...." This should be modified to be, "Since Bush no longer has the military power or political will to achieve orgasm in Iran ...." Overall though your essay excellen captures the ironic aspect well and that seems to allude traditional analysis. However - going forward, demographic trends in the region loom large too.
RE "...forcing Washington to rely on the moderate Arab ..."
These states - are they really moderate? Maybe you're just nodding to the convention - knowing your your blog - you know they are not moderate. You don't have to be a neoconservative to realize it's way too easy to be beheaded in these so-called moderate regimes -Maybe Bush likes that abouy them - but it ain't moderate. Incidentally - have you noticed the some of the neos going wobbly on Saudi post Lebanon debacle?
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