The New American Century

• Lindsey Grant
• May 19, 2004
• Forum Papers
• Forum Paper
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The New American Century
An NPG Forum Paper
by Lindsey Grant
December 2023

Click here for a downloadable, printable PDF version. 

In 1997, a small group of neo-conservatives organized the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) and published a Statement of Principles. The organization’s name describes its state of mind. Its philosophy is perhaps most succinctly expressed in a short quotation from the Principles:

“We need to accept responsibility for America’s unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles. Such a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity may not be fashionable today. But it is necessary if the United States is to build on the successes of this past century and to ensure our security and our greatness in the next.”

Among the signers of that declaration were our present Vice President, Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. The group is proud to claim parentage of the administration’s Iraq strategy. Its views are reflected in the White House position that there is “a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy and free enterprise… These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society … and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving persons across the globe and across the ages.” Condoleezza Rice called this our “moral mission,” and it was cited as an argument for invading Iraq.

The Project believes that “a cheap energy policy will lead to sustained, rapid, long-term economic and employment growth 3 .” The Bush administration agrees. Under Secretary of State Alan Larsen in April 2003 told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the United States must have access to energy “on terms and conditions that support (our) economic growth and prosperity”, and that we require “improved investment opportunities” in the energy producing regions of the world.4 It would, as the saying goes, be nice if you can do it, but Mr. Larson has his work cut out for him, as I will demonstrate later….Continue reading the full Forum paper by clicking here.