But there are two ways neoconservatism is unique as an approach to foreign policy, and they make it particularly apt for this moment: an assertive cynicism and an assertive hope.

The cynicism applies to dictators. No tyrant is benign, and powerful ones can be very dangerous. It is especially dangerous to believe in an ideologically driven tyrant’s capacity to keep the peace. When they tell the world they’re evil, it is sound judgment to believe them.

The hope goes to the oppressed peoples of the world. The universality of human nature — the equal dignity of us all that is the key principle of the American project — means that, freed from the shackles of oppression, all nations could live freely, peacefully, and prosperously. But they need American help to free themselves.

Putin’s war vindicates that cynicism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his nation’s courageous resistance (as well as anti-war protesters in Russia risking arrest and persecution) vindicate the neoconservative hope. But only America can operationalize those views.