Final answer:
Neoconservatism focuses on promoting democracy and American interests abroad, often through military intervention, and is generally more accepting of a larger federal government. Paleoconservatism emphasizes non-interventionism, traditional social values, national identity, and skeptical views on globalism, and tends to support a protectionist stance in economics.
Step-by-step explanation:
The key difference between neoconservatism and paleoconservatism lies in their respective approaches to foreign policy, cultural issues, and economics. Neoconservatives favor a proactive foreign policy, including the promotion of democracy and American interests abroad, sometimes via military intervention. They are generally more accepting of a larger federal government if it serves these ends. In contrast, paleoconservatives favor non-interventionism and have a strong focus on traditional social values, seeking to preserve what they view as America's historical cultural norms. Economically, they tend to support a more protectionist stance on trade to safeguard American industries and jobs.
Both neoconservatism and paleoconservatism engage with the conservative tradition, but neoconservatism emerged largely as a reaction to the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, advocating for American exceptionalism and intervention, while paleoconservatism calls for a return to an older conservative ethos with an emphasis on nationalism and skepticism of globalism.
These distinctions within conservatism reflect broader debates about the role of government, national identity, and America's place in the world, with neoconservatives often aligning with more recent Republican foreign policy approaches, and paleoconservatives sometimes finding common ground with certain libertarian and non-interventionist principles.