AND DEEP IN THE FOREST THEY BAY AT EVERY FULL MOON

Power, glory and the neocons (Michele Ernsting, Radio Netherlands, October 15th, 2004)

The label ‘neoconservative' is bandied about often at the moment in relation to US politics, and critics of the policies of president George Bush say his administration has been highjacked by this shadowy group.

But neoconservatives themselves deny the accusation and even the question itself – the ‘godfather' of the neocons, Irving Kristol has said that "neoconservatism is not a movement but a persuasion, and one whose meaning we clearly glimpse only in retrospect."

So who are these people, why are they so powerful, and what do they stand for? Two experts offer a critical overview.

Who are they?
Tom Barry: "There is a small clique of neoconservatives and many of them are family members. They attend the same parties. It's a group of a hundred individuals. However, in describing the neocon camp it's more important to look at ideology. Some people have singled out certain people in the current administration - such as Vice President Dick Cheney and Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, saying they are not neoconservatives. That's true, they are not part of the small clique but because they don't have an ideology of their own, they share the same ideology as the originators of the neo cons."

How do they work?
Tom Barry: "It's not a constituency-based movement. They have many magazines, from small ones right up to The Wall Street Journal, a variety of institutions small and large, including the most powerful think tank in the US right now - the American Enterprise Institute. They are criticized by the traditional right as having taken over from the traditional conservatives in the US."

What do they believe?
Jim Lobe: "I think they start from the view that the US is a moral force for good in the world, that it may have made mistakes and compromises that it feels bad about, but overall it is the greatest force for good - if not now in the 20th century then maybe for all times."

What events shaped their ideas?
According to Jim Lobe, they were shaped to a large extent by the holocaust. "The neocon lessons of the holocaust were that international institutions are useless, international law is a fiction, its really a jungle out there and military force is really the only thing you can count on to protect you and yours."

They forgot to mention the passwords and secret handshakes.