a core insight of Cold War realists and neoconservatives alike who advocated a double standard for friendly — or at least manageable — dictatorships that stayed out of the Soviet orbit. The left, on the other hand, argued that democracy should be the goal everywhere, and that America sullied itself by working with dictatorships stayed out of the Soviet orbit. The left, on the other hand, argued that democracy should be the goal everywhere, and that America sullied itself by working with dictatorships.In recent years a massive intellectual switcheroo has taken place, whereby the right now champions exporting democracy and the left sees folly in such ideological crusades. I realize this is a pretty oversimplified treatment of a complex argument, but it will do for our purposes.
This is an under-looked concept. Democratic rule has always been the point. Once the Cold War was won, what did anyone expect Cold War Warriors to do? Retire? Hah... It's the same heavy lifters using a new set of equations. There are those on the sidelines who didn't get the point then; they didn’t retire either and they’re just as unlikely to get the point now.