>I think the neocons, if I'm remembering the theory-of-action
>described within the
>PNAC docs and other sources accurately, base their hyper-aggressive notions of
>foreign policy upon two pillars:
>
>* a belief (not unjustified it seems) that the Soviet Union's
>collapse opened new
>vistas of possibility -- call it the 'nothing can stop us now' approach to
>foreign policy
>
>* a fear of so-called, *peer competitors* which, described in other
>words, is a
>fear of decline. In fact, it seems that of all the commentators on
>the American
>scene who comfortably inhabit the world of acceptable discourse, the
>neocons are
>the most open (but in a strange way, hidden just below the surface level of
>relentless shouting about limitless strength) about the possibility of decline
>which they mean to halt -- like an ancient fly trapped in amber --
>by using this
>closing window of opportunity to shore up the American situation for
>decades to
>come.
Yup, but these concerns inhabit the political/military sphere, not the economic. Their anxieties are about weapons and real estate, not current account balances, currency strength, or patent rates.
Doug