Don't blame it on the neo-cons.
The war in Iraq, instigated by the United States and supported by an ever-dwindling consortium of its allies, may mark the dead end of Western idealism. Very few may still believe it was a desire to spread freedom and democracy that motivated this alliance to invade Iraq, or that it is this desire keeping its soldiers there. It was the neo-conservative strategists in Washington who, through their spokesman George W. Bush, spread the message that America's destiny was to secure a foothold in Iraq, occupy the moral high ground, and teach the world a lesson it would not soon forget.
The lesson was simply this: That history had bestowed on the U.S. a mission to impress its version of democracy on every member of the human race, whatever values they may cherish.