| Neo-conservatism is a political current and ideology, centering inNew York in the United States, which emerged in the 1960s, coalesced inthe 1970s, and has had a significant presence in the administrations ofRonald Reagan and George W. Bush. It is today most closely identifiedwith a set of foreign policy positions and goals: a hawkish stance duringthe Cold War and recently in various conflicts in the Middle East.Neo-conservatism was new in two ways: many of the movement'sfounders, originally liberals, Democrats or from socialist backgrounds,were new to conservatism; neo-conservatism was also a comparativelyrecent strain of conservative thought, which derived from a variety ofintellectual roots in the decades following World Warâ…¡.Neo-conservatism in the 1960s were dissatisfied by or disillusioned withwhat they viewed as the political and cultural trends of the time,including leftist political radicalism, lack of respect for authority andtradition, and hedonistic and immoral lifestyles. Unlike mostconservatives of earlier generations, neoconservatives maintain that theUnited States should take an active role in the world affairs.Historically, neoconservatives supported a militant anticommunism.Before 9/11, American hard-line neoconservatives wanted to have asuper enemy to take the place of the Soviet Union as its new "evil"opponent. The Rising socialist country, China, undoubtedly made its goal.Major U.S. arms companies wanted to be free to make lucrative armssales to Taiwan. The Taiwanese themselves have powerful friends in theCongress, lobbyists and influence in Washington. All of them together have played a key role in the Sino-American relations.Sino-American relations changed radically following the September11, 2001 attacks. Both sides have come to realize that the nature ofSino-American relations will be a major factor in determining the state ofthe world in the 21st century although there are still some, especiallyneoconservatives in the Bush Administration, who remain suspicious ofthe Communist Party of China and believe that its goal is to establishhegemony in East Asia and threaten US interests, while simultaneouslythere are suspicions in China that the United States wishes to keep Chinaweak and divided.North Korea claims to possess nuclear weapons, and it is widelybelieved to have a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons. Since 2000its relations with the US seriously worsened, and was called a part of the"axis of evil" and an "outpost of tyranny" by George W. Bush followingthe 9/11 Terrorist Attacks. |
