Commentary (magazine)

Commentary is an American monthly magazine, which was established in 1945 by the American Jewish Committee in life. The influential publication bills itself as the "most important opinion- monthly magazine and a decisive voice in American intellectual life " as well as "the flagship of neoconservatism in the United States " since the 1970s. The editorial notes that " a large number of articles can be counted among the milestones American literature and intellectual life. "

Commentary is laid in New York. Since the Juli-/August-Ausgaben are combined, the magazine eleven times a year.

Founder and former editor

Founder and first editor and chief editor was Elliot E. Cohen. After his death in 1959, Norman Podhoretz took over the editorship; . , he led the magazine until 1995, currently ( as of early 2007), he acts as publisher; He regularly writes some quite extensive articles on current political issues such as the Iraq strategy or to the Bush Doctrine, which is due in its ideological core to the work of the neocons. Unlike other protagonists of the movement (see Francis Fukuyama ) or original proponents of the concepts advocated (see Thomas L. Friedman ) is Podhoretz still among the neo-conservative ideas of democracy spread.

Topics and points of view

Main topics of Commentary are political and international affairs, social affairs, culture and art, and Judaism. Many articles and papers representing original secular Jewish- American positions, as well as most authors of Hebrew origin were sometimes emigrants such as Hannah Arendt. Even Paul Celan, but also Golo and his father, Thomas Mann published in Commentary.

Since the 1970s, however, more liberal or left-wing writers turned increasingly on Commentary; between Norman Podhoretz and many former friends and companions came to an open break, what the next Irving Kristol ( the godfather ) most outstanding Neocon has written a book.

" The roots of much of the now discredited policy of the Bush administration can be found in the ' Commentary Magazine' over 50 years ago ," Nathan Abrams notes thereto. " ' Commentary ' was the vehicle ( or the ' soap box ', as the ' New York Times ' called ) for the conception, the ripening process, the birth and transformation of the neo-conservatism of a small movement of the philosophy in the very center of power. " ( See, Bush Doctrine )

Readership

As before, Commentary stands out from other recognized right and (neo - ) conservative publications by its very elitist. It recruited its audience predominantly of opinion leaders and leaders in politics, administration, science, culture and those in the media landscape.

Known authors

John Podhoretz Presidency of George W. Bush George Mason University
198621
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