George W. Bush and Neo-Conservatism
Introduction
Neo-conservatism is a political movement that came into the limelight in the 1960s in America. It was aimed at advocating for political dominance of the United States outside its borders and also universal acceptance of the strict economic policy targeted at cutting down the levels of poverty among the American citizens (Andrew, 2009). The emergence of this movement resulted from the dire need to bring under control, the perceived government negligence in shaping different economic interventions that were not successful in combating poverty, social ills, and racism. This movement was run by important democratic principles, internationalism, militarism, supremacy, and unilateralism. Those who supported this movement advocate for the application of military interventions in nations that are considered to be dictatorial as a way of enhancing democracy. Neo-conservatism is a concept that has had great dominance in the republican governments in the US since the 1960s. Its greatest effect has been experienced since George W. Bush came to power, this explains why is considered to be one of the fathers of Neo-conservatism.
This coursework paper will discuss George W. Bush and Neo-Conservatism
George W. Bush and Neo-conservatism
George W. Bush was a popular political figure in America and also an entrepreneur whose first election was for the position of governor of Texas. He, later on, became the forty-third president of the United States of America where he served for two terms in the period between the years 2001 to 2009. His father is George H. W Bush, better remembered for having been the first president of the United States to win a presidential seat. Even though he won by the votes cast by the majority delegates, he had fewer votes compared to his rival (Greenstein, 2002). George W. Bush had been elected as the United States president on a Republican Party ticket and adopted a model that portrayed neo-conservatism as an ideology for running the states. The application of this ideology was further accelerated by the 2011 terrorist attacks which took place shortly after being elected.
Neo-conservatism campaigns for the use of military intervention, including the deployment of military troops in a foreign nation for the protection of national interests. On the other hand, Bush is also popular for using strict foreign policies, which advocated for the use of the United States’ military power in promoting national security, especially in the wake of the 11th September 2001 terrorist attack. Andrew (2209) says that Bush is a man who believed in the use of military interventions as the only way of controlling further terrorist attacks as well as preventing the influence of the networks of terrorists that was made up of countries that sympathized with terrorists. His administration is on record for having hatched as well-executed the plan for the ouster of Saddam Hussein from power on suspicions that his government had been aiding the terrorist activities of the Al Qaeda by giving them shelter and financial support. The expression of Neo-conservatism by Bush in his leadership can also be derived from the role that he played in helping the reconstruction of Iraq through the creation of a government made up of leaders who are democratically elected.
George W. Bush holds strong beliefs in democracy, and this has seen his government send troops to Afghanistan and Pakistan among other war-torn countries in the Middle East in an effort to promote democracy as a measure for controlling terrorism. Bush believed that if democracy was promoted in these countries, terrorism and radicalism would not prevail, thereby enhancing international peace and security (Greenstein, 2002). His desire in promoting democracy in these nations was inspired by the need for shielding Israel from being invaded by radical Muslims who presented significant threat to the peace of the people of Israel. In his effort of promoting democracy, the administration of Bush created the ‘Millennium Challenge Account’ in 2008, whose funding exceeded $1.5 billion for the implementation of the International Democracy Programs. He also influenced the Congress to passing Democracy Promotion Bills, which enabled America to assist other nations in pursuing democratic practices, hence, establishing global democracy.
Bush operated unilaterally during his eight-year rule since he did not make consultations or even involve anyone in the process of making important decisions. The way in which he expressed this concept was significantly evident after the terrorist attack in America, which triggered his desire to invade Iraq and overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein without even the approval of the United Nations Security Council since it was considered to be a huge threat to the US and global peace (Lindberg, 2004). While the UN Security Council wanted sufficient evidence linking the claims made by the Bush administration to Iraq, his lack of evidence inspired the decision to launch an attack on the Arab nation without any approval or support. During his tenure, Bush went on to exercise unilateralism by making decisions on his own to attack perceived enemies without the consent of support of other countries since he felt that the United States had all the power and authority for protecting its interests.
Bush is also renowned for the promotion of America’s primacy during his term as the president since he has made important decisions targeted at strengthening the position of the US as the world superpower. His decision of attacking nations that are perceived as terrorist sympathizers, especially in the Middle East through the introduction of the use of drones in attacking militant groups operating outside the American borders, was aimed at improving the supremacy of America while weakening these countries by means of instilling fear which had significantly eliminated several threats (Rachael, 2008).
Neo-conservatism is aimed at perpetuating a fair tax regime that gives the people, the opportunity of having money at their disposal. This helps in cutting down the levels of poverty while also enhancing the growth of the economy. Bush is renowned for the implementation of tax-reduction programs that gave him the ability to exercise the largest tax cuts in the history of the United States that amounted to more than $1.35 trillion (Lindberg, 2004). While this has been a result of government surpluses that were acquired during the 2000 fiscal year, Bush held the belief that any excess money should have been returned to the people since the money belonged to them, and not the government. According to Bush, the tax cuts would stir up economic growth, which would result in creating more employment opportunities for young people graduating from different academic institutions. Neo-conservatism proposes stable social structures by creating the type of religion that can perpetuate morality while laying more emphasis on the importance of marriage as the foundation for a stable country. The administration of President Bush propagated this ideology since it advocated for supporting opposite-sex marriages, which according to him, was the only ideal and acceptable type of marriage. He further went on to campaign for constitutional amendments so as to outlaw same sex marriage that had become prominent during the Democratic Party regime (Rachael, 2008).
Conclusion
Neo-conservatism is an important political ideology whose prominence in the United States dates back to the 1960s. The Republicans have continued to exercise this concept based on the fundamental principles of unilateralism, primacy, democratic governance and military intervention. George W. Bush was quite outstanding in the use of neo-conservatism, which was significantly expressed during his tenure As the US President. Bush promoted the military dominance of America through the invasion of Iraq and ouster of Saddam Hussein from power. He was also instrumental in the promotion of democracy across the globe, especially in the Middle East.
References
Andrew, W. (2009). Assessing the George W. Bush Presidency: A Tale of Two Terms. Edinburg: Edinburg University Press.
Greenstein, F. (2002). The contemporary Presidency: The Changing Leadership of George W. Bush: A Pre- and Post 9/11 Comparison. (Features). Presidential studies quarterly, 32(2): 100-120
Lindberg, T. (2004). Neo-conservatism’s Liberal Legacy. Academic Journal of Policy Review, 127(2): 123-145.
Rachael, T. (2008). Neo-Liberal Ideology: History, Concepts and Policies. Edinburg: Edinburg University press.
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