Henry Rau argues that the use of force to spread democracy and freedom is a new strand of foreign policy known as conservative internationalism. He argues that the previous two schools, realism and liberal internationalism now have a third school to contend with.

The main data point is Ronald Reagan and his threat of force which brought the authoritarian USSR down to smaller democratic republics and/or authoritarian regimes. Russia has after all returned to authoritarianism under Putin.

It is a bit overly mythically to Reagan, the USSR had been deconstructing itself anyway and the Brezhnev Doctrine was no longer in force; which is the use of force to protect communism from the spread of capitalism and democracy.

The thesis is tenuous, such as claiming Jefferson and Polk expanded freedom by expanding US territory, in Jefferson's case with the Louisiana Purchase. Rau also argues that Jefferson and Polk saw increasing liberty as bringing equality and somehow the Louisiana Purchase fits this. Which is pretty weak.

Rau also argues that war against the Barbary Pirates shows the willingness of force. But Walter Russell Mead argues that this is Hamiltonian foreign policy and related to the doctrine of freedom of the seas (for American shipping) rather than free trade.

The argument is better when it is open about imperialism and force; which will be used to establish democracies which brings us back to neo-conservatism. It is hard not to view this as an exercise to give the invasion of Iraq and neo-conservative thinking a historical basis so it does not seem so radical and thoughtless.

It appears that conservative internationalism is neo-conservatism in the wrappings of power politics and imperialism with the attempted legitimisation via the ghosts of Reagan and Jefferson.