And during the breakup of the Soviet Union, the hard-line Communists were called conservative.
Which just means that the labels are meaningless
How about we just say "pro-liberty" and "anti-liberty"? Islamists and Communists both view the individual as the slave of the Group
And the far right views them as unruly children who need government guidance or sinners who need to repent. This was evident during the Schiavo debate when the House passed legislation to overturn a State justice system in the name of principle and God.
Freedom is under attack in either case, with the Libertarian standing in the breach. It naturally seeks a balance between all the various political forces. Balance is good, but if one totally dominates the other, damage not only can be done, it will be done. This is why the definition of politics usually includes the words "artful compromise". If one political force gets too strong, the Libertarian or Independent party grows in stature to oppose it by siphoning off disaffected members of the other two parties. This is the modern day political dynamic. It seems to work well.
When you give our political system some thought, it almost seems to be intelligent design......(sarcasm sorta)