Gary North offers this primer on the neo-conservative movement and its roots.


There was a fundamental difference between the older conservatism and neoconservatism: the neoconservatives have never believed that the government's failures are systemic. They have never called for a rollback of the state, any more than their Establishment predecessors had called for a rollback of the Soviet Union. They hope merely for containment. Furthermore, as their influence grew during the 1980's as a result of Reagan's victory, they hoped to get in on the action, go to Washington, take over the administration of the funds, and use them for productive purposes. They planned to do well by doing good. They have certainly done well.

The neoconservatives have always been insiders. They have always had bases of operations that have served as entry points into the ranks of the power brokers. The conservatives were always outsiders who were barely able to gain a toehold on the fringes of power. Never having received either aid or encouragement from the state, they were not enamored by its potential for making the world better.

The difference between neoconservatism and conservatism has been the difference between the greased skid and the bootstrap.

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