The Mickey Mouse theories of neocons

We probably wouldn't take the theories of the lunatic US neocon fringe so seriously if they weren't so influential with UK politicians and journalists. But both Tony Blair and BBC's Jeremy Paxman (for example) have boasted of reading up on the ideas of leading US neocon Robert Kagan.

Kagan, co-chair of Project for the New American Century (PNAC – a rightwing think-tank), has coined the slogan "Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus" from his theory about "power-loving Americans" vs "peace-loving Europeans". He argues that we need the "American way" (military might) when operating in the "jungle" (ie the Third World).

It looks to us like a Mickey Mouse theory, but in the lead-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, Kagan was getting a lot more media attention than antiwar campaigners.

Of course, it's not about "Europeans" and "Americans", it's about tiny ruling minorities, PR and politics as usual. In which case, a better slogan might be:

"US politics are from Arse and Euro-politics are from Anus"

For more about PNAC, see: http://www.observer.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,905978,00.html http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00204.htm