Democracy and the neocons: a marriage of convenience by Jim Lobe

Without doubt, neocons have long professed a devotion to democracy. Indeed, their main argument in favor of a US strategic alliance with Israel - a central and persistent tenet of the neoconservative creed over the past three decades - has been the Jewish state's status as the lone democratic outpost in a region of seething and hate-filled Arab autocracies. The question, however, is whether democracy promotion, especially in the Arab world, ranks anywhere nearly as high in the neocons' policy priorities as their commitment to Israeli security. And to the extent that they may perceive a potential conflict between the two, which one are they inclined to choose as the more important?