Paleoconservatives are believing Christians who see tradition-hating “globalism” as more of a threat than the world’s traditional cultures. They’ve made a short- or maybe medium-term strategic decision to align themselves with other cultures against what they see as the true culture killers. This doesn’t mean the paleos truly regard all cultures as equal, or that they don’t believe their own traditional religion is the true religion. I think you’re confusing ideology with strategy.
Furthermore, I would guess that many paleos are pre-millenialist rapture types who think the world’s a lost cause anyway and that there’s no hope of saving it or converting it. For them it makes more sense to just turn inwards and wait for the inevitable Apocalypse. Others are genuine America-firsters who truly don’t think we should be screwing around in other parts of the world.
Maybe at the very tip top most elite ranks of the paleo movement there are the atheist utilitarians you describe, but I doubt it - though it would be interesting to know how seriously Buchanan takes his Catholicism.
First, Johnson says that Buchanan explicitly rejects the idea that there is a universal moral law that applies to all peoples in all places.
Second, while I'm as anti-globalist as the next guy, the Left works primarily now through mystical Third World nationalism. Do you really think North Korea or China or the reborn Aztec Empire of the chicano nationalists have the slightest intention of ever giving up their sovereignty and blending into a world government? Wimpy "western" governments may attempt to merge at some time in the future, but a true world government would violate the inherent soverignty and rights of the Australian aborigines, and that ain't gonna happen.
Furthermore, I would guess that many paleos are pre-millenialist rapture types who think the world’s a lost cause anyway and that there’s no hope of saving it or converting it. For them it makes more sense to just turn inwards and wait for the inevitable Apocalypse. Others are genuine America-firsters who truly don’t think we should be screwing around in other parts of the world.
You are very, very wrong here. The number of pre-mil "palaeos" can probably be counted on one finger (the millenium is regarded as a proto-bolshevik utopia that undermines "western civilization"). As a matter of fact most palaeos are either Catholic or amillenial Protestant (and they certainly have no use for pre-millenial Zionism). The amillenial anti-Zionist "reconstructionist" movement is mor their style. There's a book entitled The Rapture Cult which explicates this antimillenial, anti-Israel philosophy that is available online.
It is really astounding that anyone would conflate premillenialists and "palaeocons." I take it you've never belonged to the Birch Society? Well I have!
Maybe at the very tip top most elite ranks of the paleo movement there are the atheist utilitarians you describe, but I doubt it - though it would be interesting to know how seriously Buchanan takes his Catholicism.
Sam Francis was an atheist. Jared Taylor is an atheist. There is no room for a universal G-d in this scientific, biodeterminist worldview. As for Buchanan's Catholicism, there have long been "palaeos" who don't believe in G-d but who regard Catholicism as integral to "European culture." Perhaps you've heard of Action Francaise? Even Hilaire Belloc has been accused of such a philosophy.
At any rate the fact that Buchanan apparently considers the Catholicism of the Hispanics he hates so much to be meaingless demonstrates that he is a racialist/civilizationist first and foremost and a theological Catholic second. In other words, Catholicism's proper purpose is to act as an adjunct of European civilization and has no universal mission whatsoever.