Reflections on American conservatism

Is ideological realignment possible?

     There is an anti-war dimension to conservatism in the United States, especially paleoconservatism (old conservatism).  Paleoconservatism is different from neoconservatism, a distinction that emerged during the Vietnam War, differentiating conservatives who advocated intervention in Vietnam from those who adhered to traditional conservative isolationism.  In the post-Cold War environment of the 1990s, neoconservatives formulated an aggressive imperialist interventionism, with the intention of consolidating a unipolar world-system under U.S. direction. In contrast, paleoconservatives tend to oppose to military interventions, favoring instead protectionist policies and economic nationalism in defense of U.S. interests, which consequently includes opposition to the free trade policies and neoliberalism of the neoconservatives. 

     The American Conservative was founded in 2002 as an anti-war publication.  Writing in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the twin towers and the lau…