George Schultz Quotes
I don't know how you define 'neoconservatism,' but I think it's associated with trying to spread open political systems and democracy.
Shultz, George P. Interview. The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 2006.
The Red Scare had already reached most conservatives and Truman and most others had not yet been affected by the fear of Communism that so many people had through the 1970s.
Many of the communist governments of the world described themselves as “democratic socialism.”
The neocons tend to believe that if we can invade a dictatorial country and depose the tyrant, the people could then establish a democracy and that in turn will stimulate neighbors to overthrow their tyrannical rulers and also establish a democracy. The difficulty with that theory as was shown in Iraq, one of their instigated invasion, is that while there are always a small minority of the people who share Western views on Democracy and human rights, most of the people do not. Theocrats, fanatics, fascists, ultranationalists, all strive to shape the society to their view (and settle old scores) and the result is either gridlock or Civil Wars, The societies do not have the institutions to support a democratic society and we do not have sufficient nation building skills, to make up for the shortcomings.
George Pratt Shultz was an American economist, diplomat, and businessman. He served in various positions under three different Republican presidents and is one of only two people to have held four different Cabinet-level posts. Shultz played a major role in shaping the foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration. From 1974 to 1982, he was an executive of the Bechtel Group, an engineering and services company. In the 2010s, Shultz was a prominent figure in the scandal of the biotech firm Theranos, continuing to support it as a board member in the face of mounting evidence of fraud.
