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The Idea Of Conservatism And The United States Use Of Force After The Cold War

Posted on:2009-01-19Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:X JiaFull Text:PDF
GTID:1116360245973510Subject:Political Theory
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
This dissertation takes conservatism as an analytical tool. It traces the origins and developments of the idea of conservatism and neoconservatism in the U.S., and analyses their impact on the U.S. foreign policies and the use of force abroad in the Post- Cold- War era.In foreign policy, the neoconservatives uphold a view of realistic power politics, and advocate promoting American liberal democracy through radical means, including military operations.After the Cold-War, American neoconservatism obtained an all-round development, and made different impact on the foreign policies of Clinton administration and Gorge W. Bush administration, especially manifested in the War in Kosovo and in Iraq. After September 11 event, neoconservatism turned out to be the guiding ideology in U.S. foreign policies of Gorge W. Bush administration. Under the guidance of neoconservatism, the U.S. launched a war against Iraq. Nowadays, the Post-War-Iraq-Reconstruction is regarded as a liberal democracy experiment in the area.To some extent, the success or failure of Iraq Reconstruction would make impact on not only the international order, the international institutions, the great power relations, but also American hegemony. Meanwhile, it would decide the future development of neoconservatism to a certain extent. The introductory part presents questions and provides a comprehensive domestic and foreign literature summary on neoconservatism and the use of force of the United States, and interprets the research methodology applied in the present dissertation. Chapter one discusses the changes of the world pattern after the Cold War and its new characteristics, trying to reveal the substantial challenges that the U.S. hegemony faces in the new environment. Chapter two explores the development of American conservatism, neoconservatism and their relations with the use of force of the United States, and furthermore, other representative military thought which matters in the use of force of the United States. Chapter three is an empirical analysis of the relationship between conservatism and Clinton administration's national security strategy and its influence on the use of force abroad. Through the case study of the war in Kosovo, the notion of the conservative foreign policy in Clinton's administration has been examined. Chapter four explores the leading roles played by neoconservatism in Gorge W. Bush administration's national security strategy and through the case study of Iraq War, the implementation and predicament of the notion of of the conservative foreign policy have been investigated. Chapter five is the conclusion of this dissertation, and it explores the implication of the two cases of using U.S. forces under the influence of conservatism, especially under the influence of neoconservatism, rethinking the impact of American neoconservatism on American national interest, hegemony and the prospect of neoconservatism itself.
Keywords/Search Tags:conservatism, neoconservatism, use of force, U.S. foreign policy
PDF Full Text Request
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