The American far right, both political and religious, has long made it a tradition, particularly before each presidential election, to articulate a vision for the future of the United States rooted in extreme conservatism.

This vision seeks to exert pressure on the incoming administration to adopt policies that emphasise American “exceptionalism” and “supremacy,” even if achieving these requires the exercise of force. This far right movement represents the interests of the oil and military-industrial oligarchy in alliance with religious fundamentalism in the United States.  

It is a coalition that actively seeks to wage war against anything perceived as a hindrance to “American exceptionalism” and the notion of “America as a mission.” Historically, it occupies the extreme-right position on the American ideological and political spectrum, far to the right of the historical liberals, classical conservatives, and the more radical figures who championed civil rights, social demands, and youthful aspirations in the United States.  

Its roots can be traced back to the 1964 presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater, a Republican Party businessman and senator. Considered a rising star within the Republican Party, Goldwater laid the groundwork for modern conservative extremism. His campaign vehemently opposed any form of social welfare for non-white ethnicities, something which had earlier been championed by president John F Kennedy. He was particularly critical of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, signed into law by president Lyndon B Johnson, as well as Johnson’s “War on Poverty” initiative and his broader vision for the “Great Society.”  

In his work “The Conscience of a Conservative,” Goldwater defined a US conservative as someone who opposed federal subsidies to farmers to expose them to the same market forces that challenge other Americans. He advocated the abolition of a progressive income tax in favour of a flat tax applied equally to rich and poor alike. He also called for the dismantling of federal social security, education, public housing, and infrastructure programmes, arguing that such responsibilities should not fall under federal purview.  

Historians agree that the US far-right’s transformation from a pressure group into a legitimate force in governance subsequently materialised under the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George W Bush. However, its influence was not confined to Republican administrations. It also exerted substantial pressure through legislative, media, and civil channels during the administrations of Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.  

In the 1990s, far right think tanks and research institutions began to consolidate the ideas introduced by Goldwater into coherent frameworks marketed through the media to influence public opinion and serve as guiding principles for other US administrations, particularly Republican ones. Two pivotal projects emerged from this movement: the Project for the New American Century and the Heritage Foundation.  

The Project for the New American Century was established in 1997 by prominent US neoconservatives William Kristol and Robert Kagan during Clinton’s second term in office. The Project’s mission was to ensure that the 21st century would be an “American century,” with the United States unilaterally leading the world.

This vision entailed maximising American power and exercising the right to enforce change in any part of the world to safeguard US security and dominance. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the project’s vision influenced the Bush administration’s policies, particularly in rebuilding America’s defence strategies, military capabilities, and resources for the new century. This perspective, coupled with the influence of a political elite tied to oil cartels and religious fundamentalism, drove the US invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.  

The Heritage Foundation, founded in 1973 during the Nixon administration, also gained significant traction under Bush’s presidency. After the September 11 attacks, the foundation introduced its vision for a “New Agenda for America,” outlining strategies for leadership both domestically and globally.

Over time, the foundation continued to influence US policy, particularly during Reagan’s tenure as president, by crafting a more aggressive foreign policy aimed at confronting the former Soviet Union. Unlike the Project for the New American Century, which eventually waned, the Heritage Foundation has endured, largely due to its ability to establish a robust network among key conservative institutions, think tanks, and lobbying groups in the United States.  

Although the foundation expressed its scepticism about Trump’s ability to implement a conservative agenda during his first period in office, it prepared a comprehensive policy document with nearly 350 recommendations across various sectors for his administration. A report by the foundation subsequently highlighted how Trump had successfully implemented two-thirds of these recommendations during his first year in office, surpassing even Reagan’s achievements.

Encouraged by this success, the Heritage Foundation published a new manifesto during the most recent US presidential election campaign titled “Project 2025: Directions for Leadership to Achieve the Conservative Promise.” This extensive 900-page document envisions reshaping the United States according to an ultra-conservative dream that far exceeds the ideas introduced by Goldwater in the 1960s.  

The next article will examine the contents of this “Project 2025,” exploring its implications and the concerns it raises.

The writer is an intellectual and author.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 21 November, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly