Neoconservatism

A neoconservative (colloquially, neocon) is a Republican voter who opposes affirmative action and supports free enterprise, but is not motivated by religious values. Neoconservatives tend to support free trade and immigration. Prior to 2000, neoconservativism held the position that "nationbuilding" was an inappropriate activity for America, but after the beginning of the 2003 Iraq war, neoconservatives have increasingly taken the position that democracy can and should be installed in Muslim countries such as Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, and hence neoconservatives support foreign wars such as the War in Iraq.

The leading publications of neoconservatives are Commentary and The Weekly Standard. Many Washington, D.C. think tanks, such as the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), are dominated by neoconservatives.

Neoconservatives take libertarian positions on social issues, and are unlikely to agree with Christian conservatives on issues like abortion, prayer in school and same-sex marriage. In recent years, however, libertarians have broken away from the neoconservative position, citing the tendency of neoconservatives to increasingly adopt Big government policies and to support erosion of American liberty by Patriot act and other measures.

Neoconservatives are small in number but dominate television talk shows and advisory positions in Republican Administrations.