Vivek Ramaswamy has a favorite term for his enemies on foreign policy: “neocon,” short for neoconservative. “I want to be careful to avoid making the mistakes from the neocon establishment of the past,” he said during the third Republican presidential debate on Nov. 8 in Miami. He continued to criticize pre-Trump foreign policy as “corrupt politicians in both parties spent trillions, killed millions, made billions for themselves in places like Iraq and Afghanistan fighting wars that sent thousands of our sons and daughters, people my age, to die in wars.”
Ramaswamy similarly criticized Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, referring to them as “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels” during the debate in Miami. Haley later answered on social media indicating she was willing to bomb Iran in response to proxy attacks against Israel and the United States as her popularity increases in the polls and attracts the attention of influential donors.
Col. Douglas MacGregor and Steve Bannon, and several others, discussed the prevailing neoconservative views, in an interview with The Epoch Times. The term “neocon” typically brings figures like John Bolton, John McCain, and Lindsey Graham to mind, but it also relates to a network of influential thinkers. This group of intellectuals and their ideas helped set the tone for foreign policy in the Bush administration. The movement originated from Leon Trotsky followers who became disillusioned by the Left during the Cold War. They then pursued a nationalist international strategy emphasizing military strength.
The movement gained support from post-Cold War hawkishness, found vindication from the 9/11 response, and gained momentum with Israeli ties under President Bush. However, during the Trump administration, neoconservatives opposed his policies and views on several matters. They particularly criticized his dealings with Putin and Kim-Jong Un, accusing him of appeasement.