A Neoconservative Theory of International Politics? Lakshana Mahabir A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master’s degree in Political Science School of Political Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © Lakshana Mahabir, Ottawa, Canada, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................ IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................1 OUTLINE OF THE THESIS ...........................................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................5 NEOCONSERVATISM AND THE REALIST SCHOOLS ............................................................................................5 NEOCONSERVATISM AND IR LIBERAL THEORIES: .............................................................................................7 NEOCONSERVATISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM................................................................................................ 10 NEOCONSERVATISM AS DISCOURSE .......................................................................................................... 11 OMISSIONS AND GAPS .......................................................................................................................... 13 METHODOLOGY OF THE THESIS ........................................................................................................ 16 SOURCE SELECTION: DEFINING NEOCONSERVATIVES AND NEOCONSERVATISM .................................................... 16 SOURCE ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................ 19 TENET EXTRACTION WITHIN NEOCONSERVATISM – INTRA-TEXTUALITY ....................................................................... 20 COMPARATIVE APPROACH ................................................................................................................................. 20 THEORY BUILDING. ............................................................................................................................... 20 IDEOLOGIES VS THEORIES ................................................................................................................................... 21 IDEAL TYPES: .................................................................................................................................................... 21 STATELESS THEORIES ......................................................................................................................................... 22 SELECTING WHICH TYPE OF THEORY TO USE: PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF IR THEORIES .......................................... 22 CHAPTER 2: WHAT IS NEOCONSERVATISM? ...................................................................................... 23 A. AN EXPLANATION FOR INTERNATIONAL PHENOMENA: ............................................................................ 24 1. HEGEMONY:............................................................................................................................................. 24 2. AN IDEOLOGY ABOUT IDEOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 31 3. HUMAN NATURE AS FLEXIBLE .......................................................................................................................... 34 4. REGIME TYPE AND DEMOCRATIZATION ............................................................................................................ 35 5. NEOCONSERVATIVES AND THE MILITARY .......................................................................................................... 37 6. NEOLIBERAL ECONOMICS ............................................................................................................................... 39 7. HEGEMONY, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND THE NEOCONS ...................................................................... 42 8. BANDWAGONING AND ALLIANCES ................................................................................................................... 45 B. AN APPROACH TO FOREIGN POLICY ....................................................................................................... 48 I. FOREIGN POLICY INPUTS .............................................................................................................................. 48 II. FOREIGN POLICY PROCESS: .............................................................................................................................. 51 III. FOREIGN POLICY OUTPUTS AND GOALS ............................................................................................................. 55 C. AN IDEOLOGY ............................................................................................................................... 56 PART D. INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT: FROM BURKE TO BLOOM .................................................................... 61 TRADITIONAL ANTECEDENTS OF NEOCONSERVATISM: FROM THE ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE 20TH CENTURY .................. 62 I. PUTTING THE NEO IN CONSERVATISM............................................................................................................ 62 II. LIBERALISM AND NEOCONSERVATISM ........................................................................................................... 66 ii THE 20TH CENTURY: THE GENESIS OF A MOVEMENT ...................................................................................... 69 THE STRAUSS CONNECTION................................................................................................................................ 69 SIX DEGREES OF LEO STRAUSS? .......................................................................................................................... 69 STRAUSS’S INTELLECTUAL LEGACY AND THE NEOCONSERVATIVES ............................................................................. 71 1960’S ONWARDS ........................................................................................................................................... 80 CHAPTER 3: A NEOCONSERVATIVE THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS? ....................................... 84 PART I ONE NEOCONSERVATISM, MANY THEORIES ........................................................................... 84 A. NEOCONSERVATISM AND REALISM ....................................................................................................... 84 CONCEPTUAL SIMILARITIES ................................................................................................................................. 85 CLASSICAL REALISM ........................................................................................................................................... 86 NEO REALISM: .................................................................................................................................... 90 STRUCTURAL/DEFENSIVE ................................................................................................................................... 90 OFFENSIVE REALISM ......................................................................................................................................... 94 NEO CLASSICAL REALISM ................................................................................................................................... 96 B. NEOCONSERVATISM AND LIBERALISM .................................................................................................... 98 DEMOCRATIC PEACE THEORY ........................................................................................................................... 100 NEO LIBERALISM ............................................................................................................................................ 106 C. NEOCONSERVATISM AND CONSTRUCTIVISM .......................................................................................... 108 IDENTITY AND INTEREST ................................................................................................................................... 109 MEANINGS .................................................................................................................................................... 110 THE CULTURES OF ANARCHY ............................................................................................................................ 111 D. NEOCONSERVATISM AND HEGEMONIC STABILITY THEORY ........................................................................ 119 CONFLICT & PEACE HST AND LONG CYCLES........................................................................................................ 121 PART II IDEOLOGIES VS THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS ...................................................... 127 THEORIES OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ................................................................................................ 127 THEORIES VS IDEOLOGIES ....................................................................................................................