Neocons valued regional destabilization for its own sake, not democratic ends

Evidence

In contrast to the [United States’] traditional goal of stability [as a way to secure access to oil], the neocons called for destabilizing existing regimes. Of course, the neocons couched their policy in terms of the eventual restabilization of the region on a democratic basis … Likudnik strategy saw the benefit of regional destabilization for its own sake—creating as it would an environment of weak, disunified states or statelets involved in internal and external conflicts that could be easily dominated by Israel … [and] without outside support, the Palestinians would be forced to accede to whatever type of peaceful solution Israel offered [emphasis in original]. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 439

Categorization

• XREF: Contradicts the official US framing of spreading democracy; parallels the Milgrom and Social Capital materials on how institutions and stated norms can mask strategic self-interest. — connects to: Neoconservatism frames its ideology as realism while remaining detached from actual policy outcomes. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 569; Neoliberalism’s weakening of democratic values enables neoconservative moralism and authoritarianism — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market: Human Rights…, 169; US military destabilization aimed to transform regional culture into neoliberal values (+2 more)
• QUESTION: To what extent did actual Iraq War officials believe the stated democratizing rationale vs. this destabilization logic?

Broader Connections

• US military destabilization aimed to transform regional culture into neoliberal values #contradicts (0.85)
• Neoliberalism’s weakening of democratic values enables neoconservative moralism and authoritarianism #expands (0.78) — Jessica Whyte, The Morals of the Market, 169