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Journalist John Pilger recalled how he interviewed neo- maintain defence contractors’ profits, Clinton's Defense Science conservative Richard Perle during the Reagan administration: Board called for a globalised defence industry obtained through "I interviewed Perle when he was advising Reagan; and when mergers of defence contractors with transnational companies he spoke about 'total war', I mistakenly dismissed him as mad. that would become partners in the maintenance of US military He recently used the term again in describing America's 'war on readiness terror’. 'No stages,’ he said. 'This is total war. We are fighting a James Woolsey, Clinton's director of the CIA from 1993 to variety of enemies. There are lots of them out there. All this 1995 and described as a hardliner on foreign policy, wanted to talk about first we are going to do Afghanistan, then we will do have a continued strong defence policy.” Iraq...this is entirely the wrong way to go about it. If we just let However, the Clinton administration stayed away from our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely and promoting global dominance as an ideological justification for we don't try to piece together clever diplomacy, but just wage a continuing high defence budgets. Instead, to offset profit total war...our children will sing great songs about us years from declines for defence contractors after the fall of the Berlin Wall, now." the Clinton administration aggressively promoted international The election of George H. W. Bush to the presidency and the arms sales, raising the US share of arms exports from 16 per appointment of Dick Cheney as Secretary of Defense expanded cent in 1988 to 63 per cent in 1997. the presence of neo-conservatives within the government and Additionally under Clinton, the US Space Command's 1996 after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 report "Vision for 2020" called for "full allowed for the formal initiation of a global spectrum dominance" by linking land, sea dominance policy. and air superiority to satellite supremacy In 1992, Dick Cheney supported Lewis along with the weaponisation of space.” Libby and Paul Wolfowitz in producing the Outside the Clinton administration, neo- "Defense Planning Guidance" report, which conservative HCPEs continued to promote advocated US military dominance around a global dominance agenda. the globe in a "new order". The report On June 4 1994, a neo-conservative called for the United States to grow in The report called for "Lakeside Chat" was given at the San military superiority and to prevent new . Francisco Bohemian Club's summer rivals from rising up to challenge the US on the United States encampment to some 2,000 regional and the world stage. Using words like to grow in military national elites. The talk, entitled "Violent "unilateral action" and military "forward os Weakness", was presented by a political presence", the report advocated that the US superiority and to science professor from UC Berkeley. The dominate friends and foes alike. It i speaker focused on how increasing concluded with the assertion that the prevent new rivals violence in society was weakening our from rising up to challenge the US on the world stage. US can best attain this position by making itself "absolutely powerful"."” The "Defense Policy Guidance" report was leaked to the press and came under heavy criticism from many members of the HCPE. The New York Times reported on March 11, 1992, that "Senior White House and State Department officials have harshly criticized a draft Pentagon policy statement that asserts that America's mission in the post-cold-war era will be to prevent any collection of friendly or unfriendly nations from competing social institutions. Contributing to this violence and decay of our institutions were bisexuality, entertainment politics, multi- culturalism, Afro-centrism and a loss of family boundaries. The professor claimed that to avert further deterioration, we need to recognise that: "...elites based on merit and skill are important to society. Any elite that fails to define itself will fail to survive... We need boundaries and values set and clear! We need an American-centered foreign policy... with the United States for superpower status".” and a President who understands foreign policy." He went on to One administration official, familiar with the reaction of conclude that we cannot allow the "unqualified" masses to carry senior staff at the White House and State Department, out policy, but that elites must set values that can be translated characterised the document as a "dumb report" that "in no way into "standards of authority". The speech was forcefully given or shape represents US policy", while Senator Robert C. Byrd, and was received with an enthusiastic standing ovation by most Democrat of West Virginia, called the draft Pentagon document members.” "myopic, shallow and disappointing".*’ Many among the HCPE During the Clinton administration, neo-conservatives within were not yet ready for a unilateral global dominance agenda. So the HCPE were still active in advocating for military global with Bill Clinton's election to the White House in 1992, most dominance. Many of the neo-conservatives and their global neo-conservatives of the HCPE were out of direct power during dominance allies found various positions in conservative think- the next eight years. tanks and with Department of Defense (DoD) contractors. They continued close affiliations with each other through the Heritage The Neo-cons Under Clinton Foundation, American Enterprises Institute, Hoover Institute, The HCPE within both major political parties tend to seek to Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), Center maintain US world military power. Both political parties for Security Policy and several other conservative policy groups. cooperate by encouraging Congress to protect US business Some became active with right-wing publications such as the interests abroad and corporate profits at home. To better National Review and the Weekly Standard. The report called for the United States to grow in military superiority and to prevent new rivals from rising up to challenge the US on the world stage. The Neo-cons Under Clinton The HCPE within both major political parties tend to seek to maintain US world military power. Both political parties cooperate by encouraging Congress to protect US business interests abroad and corporate profits at home. To better NEXUS + 27 OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2006 www.nexusmagazine.com