Détente, the rebirth of anti-communism, and the rise of a transatlantic ‘neo-conservative’ network: the case of the Cercle

The so-called Cercle , Cercle Pinay or Cercle Violet emerged in the 1960s as an informal discussion group of senior politicians, publicists, businessmen and intelligence officers from France, Germany and other Western European countries. A secret meeting place for conservative elites, the Cercle was initially based on the transnational network of the French lawyer, political advisor and anti-communist activist Jean Violet. In the second half of the 1970s, in reaction to Détente, the Cercle turned into a transatlantic forum with close personal ties to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. The Cercle thus became both a catalyst and a typical example of a ‘neo-conservatism’ that combined classical conservative positions with neoliberal principles. What was ‘new’ about this ‘neo-conservatism’ was above all that it overcame the contradictions between different national currents of conservatism. Its representatives saw themselves as part of a transnational community and emphasized the global dimension of their political thought and action. Within this transatlantic conservative alliance, the fight against communism served as both a means of integration and an overarching goal. Nevertheless, the Cercle survived the collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War. It has remained a transnational meeting place for conservative elites to this day, although its focus seems to have shifted from anti-communism to anti-terrorism.