What is the difference between a Neo-Con (new conservative) and a traditional conservative?
Well,since you obviously want to avoid all the insults the right hurls at everyone(wink wink) we'll just skip over that. Conservatism-Rule of society by an aristocracy. Sorry.That is atrocious. Neo-Con:A heavy slanderer of all non-conservatives who believes we should domesticate the world at any price.Morally and fiscally irresponsible.
What is the main reason behind the NATO intervention in Libya?
Let's first get the fact straight:The US did not invade Libya. Yes, Washington, Paris, and London wanted Gaddafi out and did plenty to achieve this end. CIA, MI6, and others were working on the ground, and Qatar, Egypt, and the West were all arming the rebels while bombarding Libyan army. But the BRICS and Germany were all pushing for a peaceful negotiation at that time.Reuters: Exclusive: Obama authorizes secret help for Libya rebelsThe Guardian: Qatar admits sending hundreds of troops to support Libya rebelsThe Washington Post: Western nations step up efforts to aid Libyan rebelsThe Independent: America's secret plan to arm Libya's rebelsHugh Robert wrote a comprehensive essay on the tactics of getting Gadddafi out. LRB · Hugh Roberts · Who said Gaddafi had to go?The reason for the push for regime change is a mystery. Maybe the fact that Gaddifi was pushing for socialist revolution was enough. Maybe a payback for the Lockerbie bombing. Pan Am Flight 103 Of course that happened in 1988, over 20 years ago. Maybe economics. Or maybe as simple as that he was not sufficiently compliant. Nobody really knows. It's sufficient to say that he made himself vulnerable to rebellion and civil war, and that was enough. History shows that as long as you don't have to have "boots on the ground", the cost of a regime change is minimal for the foreign powers, as the cost is almost always entirely borne by the native population.
Did the US conspired to put Mao Zedong in power while aiding Chiang Kai-shek?
No. And the question is difficult to answer. Read the book 'The Coldest Winter' by David Halberstam. In it he explains what led to the fall of Nationalist China and the Rise of Mao, as well as what led to the Chinese entry into Korea. The short answer is that we were supporting Chiang Kai Shek with arms and training after WWII. However through graft and corruption, we ended up backing a nationalist leader that had no army, no generals and no idea how to fight the Communists. The majority of weapons that Mao used in his revolution were the same ones we gave to the Nationalists. The more we sent to support the Nationalists, the more the Communists captured. The US had a very simplified view of China back then, and while there was a very large and successful lobby in the House and Senate, we never understood what was happening there. It did not help that America was being misled by the press (Time Magazine Editor Henry Luce was a big supporter of Nationalist China and often manipulated the news to suit his agenda) Chiang Kai Shek and Madame Chiang manipulated the US to get more aid and to try to get the US to fight their civil war. When we sent advisors (General Stilwell for instance), they ignored their advice and openly countermanded their orders, first with efforts to attack the occupying forces of Japan during World War II and later against Mao's Communist forces. 'They're all a bunch of Damn Thieves!' is how General Stilwell put it and finally, after millions of dollars were given to Chiang, the US pulled its support and Chiang fled to Formosa (Taiwan). This is why China considers Taiwan a renegade province and it is their intention to 'bring them back' to complete China.