I don't think you understand. Some of these people genuinely believe that US imperialism will spread progress and prosperity. Yes, some are Machiavellian and un

I don't think you understand. Some of these people genuinely believe that US imperialism will spread progress and prosperity. Yes, some are Machiavellian and understand the geopolitical game, and are simply playing for keeps (resources, dominance, US hegemony, self-enrichment, etc). Others actually believe in the forceful spread of the Enlightenment project worldwide to accelerate the upward curve of history. Never underestimate how stupid an aristocracy can become. Some portion will always be true believers. The idea that it is all Machiavellians is a probabilistic impossibility, and revealed preferences (interviews, slips of the mic, secret conversations, whistleblowers, etc.) have shone sunlight on them in the past. There are genuine ideologues in the US military and state department. Calling them "conservative" or "neoliberal" is a useless simplification that does not adequately describe how deranged their beliefs are.