NeoConservatism: Why We Need It

I'm surprised to find myself, a lifelong lefty, recommending a book on conservatism (with both big and small Cs), but I think it broadens the liberal mind to realise that not everyone who subscribes to right-of-centre views is either stupid or evil — and Douglas, who is a classic right winger, has a luminous intellect and is scrupulously moral. Douglas is an old school patriot of a kind that has long gone out of fashion: the intellectual love child of Edmund Burke and Christopher Hitchens. His prose is refreshingly lucid and sincere and infused with a stop-fiddling-while-London-burns sense of urgency. I disagree with some of the stances he takes in the book and was quite surprised by his fervent defence of the Anglican church, its belief system and its faith-based Anglican schools, since he is an atheist. But, on some issues, I believe he is absolutely spot on: especially in chapter 3, which deals with Islamism, and in his scathing debunking of moral relativism. This is old-fashioned oratory at its best: a bracing antidote to political correctness, Orwellian doublespeak, spin and academic obscurantism. Whether or not you subscribe to his views (and I don’t always), he’s worth taking seriously. And if you love good writing, he’s an enormous pleasure to read.

Douglas Murray is an absorbing man to listen to, which makes sense when you consider his intelligence, historical knowledge, and general politeness (a particular rarity among talkative right-wing commentators). He's a prolific speaker and writer (mainly of articles), and I've always considered the contributions he's made to discourse on political correctness, culture, foreign policy, and immigration to be pretty valuable. This book was also a joy to read (mainly from a literary perspective). He does a good job crafting a deep historical narrative going back to the philosophy of 20th century thinker Leo Strauss, developing and strengthening with Irving Kristol during the culture wars of the 60s and 70s, capturing political power during the Reagan Revolution, and capping off (hopefully) with the Bush II administration's invasion/destruction of Iraq and the destabilization of the Middle East.Because Murray is a pretty honest man, I don't have qualms with how he presents the origins and evolution of neoconservatism as a worldview over the last couple centuries. I also appreciate his willingness to embrace the view (including its label), rather than shy away from it while still tacitly accepting its substantive elements. Where we disagree is the value-judgements we make of such a worldview, as well as the outcomes it's brought to the world when wielded by policymakers in the West/U.S. The destruction wrought by the war in Iraq, the starkness between this disaster and the predictions and promises breathlessly foretold by neocon policymakers, and the subsequent demographic and global destabilization that massive, untrammeled foreign intervention has set off should convince any observer that the ideas presented by Murray have had their go at it, and it was a terrible go. Fortunately in the U.S., public opinion appears to have neutered neocons as a force for policymaking (as well as their ability to wage another open-ended war on any number of nations).To any honest reader of Murray's book, the harmful outcomes of this worldview are obvious to expect. Since the industrial revolution, the West (namely Western Europe and the U.S.) has wielded immense economic and technological power, and in times of war, has usually misdirected this power to extremely disastrous ends (take Hitler and Mussolini, two figures that've caused some of the greatest destruction and death the world has ever known, and both of whom were at the heart of Western Civilization at a high point in its productive capacity). Yes, the West has led the world in terms of living standards and economic growth, which have served as soil for some of the greatest cultural and personal empowerment the world has ever seen. And I agree with Murray that there are many beautiful things about Western culture that should be preserved and emulated (namely the improved position of women in society, the separation of church and state, the promotion of cultural and religious pluralism). I also agree in the existence of an objective set of moral values, and share his distaste of nihilistic, reflexively pessimistic thinkers on the left. But the ability of Western states to wage war on a massive, world-ending scale reinforces the importance of a set of strong international norms that govern the actions of nations. Another prominent idea of the West that needs its due is the right of nations to self-determination. Self-determination includes freedom from arbitrary involvement and attacks from other more powerful nations, whether in the form of invasions, assassinations, propaganda campaigns, or cyberattacks. By supporting massive blunders in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen (to name just a few recent countries), Murray not only approves of open-ended waste and destruction without effective oversight; he also fulfills the narratives of some of the most cynical leftists, who continue to highlight the atrocities of our foreign campaigns in grim detail. From my perspective as a U.S. citizen, the vast, opaque, unaccountable influence of military institutions throughout the world, backed up by unconditional support from a civilian populace preoccupied with mounting domestic problems, is a recipe for the destruction of Western society and values. You reap what you sow, and in order to sow seeds that will grow into more fruitful outcomes for posterity, we need to focus on internal problems before we try to remake the world in our image.On a closing note, if Murray is frightened at the specter of Islamic Fundamentalism pouring into the borders of Europe, he and his neoconservative friends should probably also consider another massive threat to national security and sovereignty: climate change.

Murray does an excellent job of demonstrating the broad foundational conceptions of the ideology by virtue of historical chronology, philosophical application, and the political implications involved. He also discusses at great length the esoteric nature of the ideology in relation to the popular misconceptions of it which are pervasive. Neoconservatism offers a dynamic, cohesive, and comprehensive vision for the future that is premised out of the realities of the modern era, and the eternal rights which were self-evident to the founding fathers of America. Unlike mainstream conservatism, neoconservatism is not fixated on the politics of nostalgia but is in contrast almost entirely focused on the future, and has a captivating, intellective, as well as convincing vision for it. Perhaps the most appealing aspect of neoconservatism is the intellectual diversity within the ideology that is only binded together by a broad set of principles that all neoconservatives agree upon.A criticism would be that Murray only briefly touches upon the famed 'New York Intellectuals' which Irving Kristol was a part of, and never directly mentions them specifically from what I can remember. Additionally, Murray could have spent more time discussing the intellectual evolution of Kristol from his original far-left ideological predilections, which were predominant early in his life.

Douglas Murray is amazing as always. Brilliant book. He's right about so many things. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Like most people I’ve watched Douglas Murray on YouTube and have a copy of his more recent book, ‘the strange death of europe’. The beginning of this book is a little bit slow but don’t be put off because Mr Murray is building up to deal a devastating blow to everything that the politically correct brigade hold dear, and he proceeds to dissect it slither by slither. This book has actually given me hope that not all is lost in the U.K. and political correctness hasn’t left us in such a state that there’s nothin worth trying to defend any more - and he’s made me not feel bad about it. The take home message is that it’s down to all of us not to apologise for being British and wanting to defend our culture and values from politicians and Eurocrats who care about little more than political cuteness, multiculturalism, diversity, and appeasing extremists. Because, as Mr Murray says in his latest book, if that’s all being British is, then there isn’t much to protect and fight for.

As with other Kindle books, there are quite a few typographical errors in this book.I am not familiar with how a Kindle edition makes the transition from the paper version - whether these errors are caused by inaccurate and poor typing, or they are the author's mistakes.Kindle editions are not, as one would have thought, a lot cheaper than the paper version. Errors in typing make the product look cheap and slung together.

I had not previously read this topic and found the early part of the book slow but have given four stars due to the very insightful research and presentation of sections three and four on Iraq and America respectfully. Well written and worth reading.

A great book that completely changed my view of what it means to be neoconservative. Murray gives a clear history and description of neoconservative idelology and relates this to many of the issues that face modern Britain. An antidote to liberal, left, socialist politics that are so prevelant today.

Well written, clear description about neoconservatism and where it originally came from. Very thought provoking, a lot reflected my own views for which I had never had a name. Some of it I found very uncomfortable.

Douglas Murray, in clear terms, outlines what Neoconservatism is, and why it matters. The irony however, is the while Europe is moving in a more conservative or neoconservative direction, America is becoming more liberal.

Great read and insightful

Very informative, good job

A necessary read for this generation who seem to lack the understanding. That steps need to be taken to protect the western way of life from the socialist and Islamic threats.We must be prepared to fight for our values wherever that fight maybe

Su justificación de la guerra de Irak no se sostiene ni con pinzas, pero brinda un buen panorama para quien quiere entender el neoconservadurismo en sus propias palabras, y planteado con una pluma inteligente. Una vez más, Douglas Murray es alguien a quien vale la pena leer.

Should be taught in schools.

Douglas Murray is one of the greatest thinkers of our generation.

A must read! Cant wait for his next book!

Lucid, clearly written and persuasive

Love it.