Quote:
Originally Posted by PursuitOfHappinessParty
Invading Iraq just doesn't compare.
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My point in bringing up Iraq was not that the actions are comparable, but that the ideology behind our invasion and the ideology behind the Westward expansion of the US are comparable. Manifest Destiny stated that God had appointed the US government to spread Democracy to the Pacific Coast as a great experiment in liberty, as O'Sullivan called it. Many believers in the current foreign policy think that either God or merely our natural superiority has appointed us to spread Democracy to the world, starting with the Middle East.
The neo-conservative foreign policy is essentially Manifest Destiny applied to the world stage. Both ideologies carry the pretence of spreading freedom, which makes them slightly different from the good old British policy of, "We know best how to run your country, so we'll take it and run it for you. It's for your own good, so shut your gob."