Post by Moses on Jan 16, 2005 10:48:50 GMT -5
startribune.com
Q&A on the news
Published January 12, 2005
Q What is meant by the word "neocon"? What makes a person one? My dictionary is no help.
A "Neocon" is short for "neoconservative." According to the Christian Science Monitor, neocons believe that the United States should use its political and military power to promote its values around the world. Some neocons believe the United States has allowed dangers to grow by not spending enough on defense and not confronting threats aggressively enough.
The term first appeared in the 1960s. The late Sen. Henry (Scoop) Jackson of Washington, a Democrat and staunch anti-Communist, and members of his staff are frequently identified as the founding fathers of the group. Jackson died in 1983, and during the 1980s many neocons were Republicans, finding in President Ronald Reagan an avenue for their aggressive approach of confronting the Soviet Union with bold rhetoric and steep hikes in military spending.
Q What is the status of Ted Turner's donations to the United Nations?
A Turner is more than halfway to making good on his promise.
In September 1997, Turner, then vice chairman of AOL-Time Warner, announced he would donate $1 billion over 10 years to the United Nations. The United Nations Fund for International Partnerships was created in March 1998 to coordinate, channel and monitor contributions from the UN Foundation. As of June 2004, more than $594 million had been funneled to 311 projects in 122 countries.
Cox News Service and New York Times