Friday, December 05, 2003

Right wing/left wing

Jon describes George Bush as a "radical" in his response to my questions about the use of left or right wing. And, he's right, particularly with regards to foreign and defense policies. The Bush administration's foreign policy is radically liberal.

The administration is following a policy of freedom from state and religious tyranny for all. This policy is believed to be best for securing peace in the world and security for America. This is the rationale for the project to transform the Middle East. It's one massive gamble and is anything but conservative.

I'm still not convinced that the Nazis were "right wing" reactionaries. Hitler was a radical nationalist. He was not looking to maintain the existing order or even reestablish a lapsed order. He was pursuing a radical transformation of Europe under German rule. Left or right? I'm not sure.