Highlights from the PRA Right Web Program
Why Iraq? The State of Debate on the Motives for the War
By Daniel Luban | May 19, 2009
Even as the Obama administration ramps up military engagement in Afghanistan, the motives for why the country went to war in Iraq remain clouded in debate. The Bush administration’s discredited public rationale, that the country was threatened by Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, was at best only the tip of the iceberg, at worst a cynical attempt to cover up the actual motives for the war. A close inspection of the various arguments suggests that above all, the Iraq war was an extreme manifestation of a recent ideological tendency in U.S. foreign policy, and that the thinking that engendered it may not be fully in the rearview mirror.
Whither Af-Pak?
By Najum Mushtaq | April 16, 2009
The near simultaneous reappointment of a sacked Supreme Court judge and the signing of an agreement to allow Sharia courts in certain areas have created a bewildering judicial divide in Pakistan. In this battle of the courts, however, there is a real opportunity for President Obama to take a new approach toward Pakistan and depart from the disastrous path cut by President George W. Bush and his predecessors. But unless President Obama listens to the people of Pakistan and recognizes the currents of change in this traumatized country, the administration’s strategy of linking Pakistan and Afghan policy—the so-called Af-Pak plan—could spark a spiraling conflict with devastating, far-reaching repercussions
U.S.-Iranian Engagement: When and How?
Analysis by Ahmad Sadri | March 25, 2009
On Norouz, the day when Iranians celebrate the coming of spring and the new Iranian calendar year, President Barack Obama put the United States on a path to a fresh relationship with Iran. But given the upcoming Iranian presidential elections in June, the real question for the U.S. administration is when and how to further engage Iran. One thing is clear, the two countries have a number of shared concerns, which could provide them with a new basis for relations.
President Obama: A Realist Interventionist?
By Leon Hadar | January 28, 2009
President Barack Obama might turn out to be a foreign policy pragmatist, eschewing the grand strategies and big-label crusades that inspire the minds of Washington’s cognoscenti. After eight years of the Bush administration’s foreign policy fantasies, the notion of an Obama administration muddling through foreign policy choices should be welcomed, even by those who will inevitably be disappointed when Obama fails to live up to their high expectations.
Neoconservatism in a New Era
By Nick Rogers | December 21, 2008
With change coming to Washington in the form of a new president who campaigned on a slate of foreign policies at loggerheads with the agenda championed by President George W. Bush, a burning question among many pundits is, “Whither the neocons?” Out of power and out of fashion, what exactly will be their post-Bush agenda? Prominent thinkers Joshua Muravchik and Michael Ledeen weigh in on how neocons should move forward and what some of their priorities might be in the future.
Cheney: Master Bureaucrat
By Daniel Luban | December 21, 2008
Cheney has from the beginning served as the most aggressive hawk among the top administration leadership. His public pronouncements on the Iraq War have often gone farther than Bush himself was willing to. With secrecy and skill, Cheney used the Vice President’s office to unite the administration around shared goals of an aggressively nationalist foreign policy, a disdain for diplomacy, and an utterly unfettered executive power in time of war, as Barton Gellman documents in the recent biography Angler.
Green Security?
By Ali Gharib | November 30, 2008
Neoconservatives, despite their appreciable influence on President George W. Bush’s administration, have never numbered very many people. By forming tactical alliances and associations with groups like evangelical Christians and hardline nationalists to promote their policy goals, neocons became a powerful faction in Washington, D.C., especially after the 9/11 attacks. Now, with their influence clearly on the wane, some neocons seem to be trying to forge what might be their most unexpected alliance yet—with environmentalists.
Will Obama’s Change Come to Poor Corners of Kenya?
By Najum Mushtaq | November 11, 2008
Wracked by the devastation wrought in the violent aftermath of their own presidential election a year ago, Kenyans across the country’s tribal and religious divisions have rejoiced in Barack Obama’s presidential win in the United States. But the euphoria inspired by the obvious symbolism of the election of a U.S. president with Kenyan heritage is heavily tempered by the burdens of everyday life and the question of whether Obama has the will and wherewithal to stop the excesses of the U.S.-led “war on terror” in East Africa.
The Economic Crisis: Will Money Trump Ideology?
By Eli Clifton | October 28, 2008
The steep reversal of financial fortune for one of the most generous donors to hawkish causes could likely impact the ability of those causes to carry out their work. The fortune of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a key backer of groups like Freedom’s Watch and the Likud agenda in Israel, has taken a hit from the global economic meltdown. Will megadonors like Adelson turn their attention to salvaging their business empires at the expense of the political agendas dear to their hearts?
Losing Pakistan’s Hearts and Minds—and the “War on Terror”
By Najum Mushtaq and Qurat-ul-Ain Sadozai | October 13, 2008
Pakistan is facing one of the worst internal crises in its history. The turmoil—intimately tied to the Bush administration's "war on terror"—is pushing Pakistani citizens against the tenuous U.S.-Pakistani alliance. The volatility of the relationship was underscored recently when members of U.S. and Pakistani forces exchanged fire. As U.S. strategists focus their military campaign on cross-border strikes against Taliban elements in Pakistani territory, they seem to be neglecting the plight of the average Pakistani. Without the hearts and minds of the population, Washington stands no chance of winning its war on terror on any front.
Featured Profiles
Kagan, Robert
The neoconservative foreign policy guru recently cofounded a letterhead group that some see as a transparent attempt to rehabilitate neoconservatism...
Lenkowsky, Leslie
The former head of AmeriCorps and a long-time philanthropic supporter of neoconservatism, Lenkowksy accuses Obama of pushing policies that will hurt charitable giving...
Allen, Richard
Ensconced at the conservative Hoover Institution, this former member of Donald Rumsfeld’s Defense Policy Board now seems to spend much of his time distressing over President Obama and venerating the memory of Ronald Reagan...
Reich, Otto
The controversial Iran-Contra veteran who served as an assistant secretary of state under George W. Bush remains a divisive figure in U.S.-Latin American relations...
Luti, William
A former Bush administration foreign policy operative and veteran of the Pentagon’s controversial Office of Special Plans, Luti is now a VP at defense contractor Northrop Grumman...
Jasser, Zuhdi
Zuhdi Jasser ,a physician and devout Muslim connected to various neoconservative groups, is the founder of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, which touts itself as "a leading voice for liberty-minded Muslims in America in the war on terror"...
Chao, Elaine
The former secretary of labor has returned to the Heritage Foundation, where she worked before being tapped by George W. Bush in 2001...
Edelman, Eric
An undersecretary of defense during George W. Bush’s second term, Edelman is now "distinguished fellow" at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments....
Rosen, Steven J.
In early May, the U.S. government dropped its espionage charges against Rosen, a high-profile advocate for pushing hardline U.S. policies in support of Israel who had been accused of passing sensitive U.S. information while working for the powerful "Israel lobby" group, AIPAC...
Clarion Fund
A little-known group connected to the Israeli right-wing, the Clarion Fund recently released a new documentary called the The Third Jihad: Radical Islam’s Vision for America...
Negroponte, John
A controversial Reagan-era official who was involved in implementing counter-insurgency policies in Central America, Negroponte served as the first national intelligence director during the George W. Bush administration. Yale announced in January that Negroponte would teach grand strategy at the university...
Rice, Condoleezza
The former secretary of state has returned to Stanford, where she was provost before joining the Bush administration, to teach political science and work as a fellow at the hawkish Hoover Institution...
Chertoff, Michael
The former head of DHS and a key advocate of the Bush administration’s “war on terror,” Chertoff recently founded a risk management firm and joined the law firm of Covington & Burling...
Kemp, Jack (1935-2009)
A former congressman and standout NFL quarterback who was associated with the hawkish wing of the Republican Party, Jack Kemp passed away in early May 2009...
Cheney, Richard “Dick”
Richard (“Dick”) Cheney is widely considered one of the most powerful vice presidents in U.S. history, having played an instrumental role in everything from expanding presidential war...
Cheney, Lynne
Lynne Cheney, the wife of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has been a high-profile supporter of rightist causes for decades, including from her current perch as senior fellow at the American...
Foreign Policy Initiative
Founded in early 2009 by several high-profile neoconservatives, the Washington D.C.-based Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI) is an advocacy organization devoted to promoting aggressive U.S. foreign...
Cheney, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, was a State Department official overseeing Mideast policy during the George W. Bush administration. At State, Cheney oversaw efforts to...
Wehner, Peter
Peter Wehner, a former advisor to President George W. Bush known for his strident defense of his former boss’s policies, has continued to be a vocal proponent of rightist domestic and foreign...
Blackwater Worldwide (XE)
Recently rechristened as Xe, the Blackwater private security company—notorious for its work in Iraq—claims to be shifting its focus to training and logistics, including training pro athletes in self-defense.
DeMuth, Christopher
Christopher DeMuth served as president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a key intellectual recruiting ground for the George W. Bush presidency and a preeminent think tank of...
Yoo, John
John Yoo, a visiting scholar at the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the former deputy assistant attorney general under John Ashcroft, is notorious for his controversial legal...
Ross, Dennis
Dennis Ross, a U.S. diplomat who has served both Republican and Democratic administrations in negotiations on Middle East peace and other foreign policy issues, was appointed the State...Prince, Erik
Erik Prince is the founder and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide, a controversial private security firm whose activities in Iraq and elsewhere have led some observers to term it a modern-day...Scaife, Richard Mellon
Richard Mellon Scaife, owner of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and chairman of the Scaife Foundations, has been a key financier of the American Right for decades. In 2006, Scaife’s three major...
Scaife Foundations
The Scaife Foundations are a quartet of conservative foundations—the Sarah Scaife, the Carthage, the Allegheny, and the Scaife Family—that have served as the primary vehicles for the...
The Right Web Mission
Right Web tracks militarists’ efforts to influence U.S. foreign policy.