Founded in 1982 to serve as an elite source of policy debate and analysis for U.S. policymakers, the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) has consistently pressed for hawkish agendas in U.S. foreign and defense policies. In the 1980s, the AFPC supported the Nicaraguan Contras and hosted figures like Roberto D'Aubisson, head of El Salvador's ARENA Party, which was linked to death squads in that country (see IRC GroupWatch Profile: World Freedom Foundation). Today, the AFPC is one of a number of hardline Washington-based think tanks—like the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and the Center for Security Policy—that champion a broad war on terror and devote considerable time and resources to publicizing the "growing threat from Iran."
The AFPC's four central programs focus on regions of the world deemed key security concerns among hawks in the foreign policy community: Russia, China, Eurasia, and Iran. The council's Russia and China programs aim to strengthen reform initiatives in those countries and assess policy developments there. The Eurasia program "is designed to provide timely analysis of emerging foreign policy trends in the Middle East and Central Asia and their implications for American national security." The center's Iran Freedom Initiative "is dedicated to assisting U.S. policymakers with the development and implementation of strategy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran—and to the promotion of democracy and pluralism in that country."
The AFPC publishes a number of "Bulletins" that generally promote conservative opinions on topics ranging from missile defense to foreign aid, as well as weekly publications tied to its four key programs. The Missile Defense Briefing Report, "launched in the wake of the Bush administration's decision to pursue missile defense as a national security priority," highlights developments in countries like North Korea, Syria, Iran, and China. The February 8, 2007 report discussed China's purported growing "space warfare capabilities" in light of its anti-satellite interceptor test in mid-January 2007; reported on Iran's efforts to launch a satellite into space, which is "worrying to U.S. officials, since the launch vehicle could serve as a precursor to the creation of an Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile capability"; and summarized a news item from the rightist Jerusalem Post, which had reported on Syria's recent test-launch of a Scud D, a missile that "is capable of hitting any point in Israel."
The AFPC also organizes conferences that focus on policymakers' security concerns. In November 2006, the council sponsored a conference on "Understanding the Iranian Threat." The keynote speaker was former CIA Director James Woolsey. He told the audience: "First of all, the Persians invented chess, and they are very good at it. My general notion is that Iran has a queen that it is protecting, and that queen is its nuclear weapons program ... In protecting that queen, it has a number of lesser pieces. I suppose I would rank Syria as a rook and perhaps Moqtada al-Sadr, Hezbollah, and Hamas as pawns, but nonetheless, Iran is doing a skillful job of protecting its nuclear weapons program. It has other maneuvers that it can operate with players that are not completely under its control but nonetheless are helping. One is Russia ... and another is China" (November 15, 2006.) Woolsey then went on to suggest that North Korea might ship Iran plutonium or highly enriched uranium in diplomatic pouches for weapons-making purposes. Other speakers at the conference included Patrick Clawson of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Walid Phares of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
AFPC scholars frequently give testimony to congressional committees and publish regularly in major U.S. publications, often right-wing outlets. In early February 2007, the "Latest News" section of its website was devoted almost entirely to publicizing the AFPC's work on Iran and the war on terror. Among the highlighted items were articles by AFPC Vice President Ilan Berman—a rising star in the neoconservative-aligned policy wonk community who is a member of the Committee on the Present Danger—that had been published in two right-wing publications, the Washington Times and the National Review. In his article for the Washington Times, titled "The President Is Right," Berman argued that the "most important" part of President George W. Bush's January 2007 State of the Union address "had to do with the war on terror and the adversaries that America is fighting." Berman argued that in highlighting the growing threat from Iranian-supported Shiite extremists in Iraq, the president was broadening the focus of threats to be addressed in the Mideast, which previously had been chiefly viewed as Sunnis tied to al-Qaida and the Taliban. This "wider war on terror," Berman opined, "requires that Washington resolutely confront the Islamic Republic of Iran" (Washington Times, February 1, 2007).
In late January 2007, the AFPC launched a media blitz regarding Iran. According to the council's website, the week-long advertising campaign "was aimed at educating the U.S. public about the Iranian nuclear threat. The campaign consisted of two 30-second spots that began running Tuesday on CNN, MSNBC, Headline News, and the Fox News Channel in Washington, DC, Maryland, and northern Virginia." One of the melodramatic and alarmist ad scripts: "Iran's president denies the Holocaust, says he wants to wipe Israel off the map, and has supported attacks that killed hundreds of Americans. Iran sent thousands of children marching to their deaths to clear minefields, armed only with plastic keys to unlock the gates of heaven. Now, in violation of the United Nations, Iran is trying to go nuclear and has threatened to share the technology with others. Stand up for peace. Call the White House and tell them to enforce sanctions against Iran today."
According to its 2005 IRS Form 990 (available from Guidestar.org), the AFPC's activities include: " congressional foreign study—provides a briefing series for senior congressional staff members and other public policy professionals and composes policy papers for prominent journals, magazines, and newspapers"; "international exchange programs—schedules meetings and provides information to foreign political figures who are not included in other AFPC programs and supports fact finding missions abroad"; and an "Asia Pacific initiative—hosts policy forums, publishes strategic reports, and builds model humanitarian programs in the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen international security and promote democratic ideas" (Guidestar.org).
AFPC board members and trustees listed on the 2005 Form 990 included Herman Pirchner Jr., who is the council's founder and president; Alfred Regnery, head of the right-wing publishing house Regnery Publishing, whose authors have included Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, Oliver North, and Pat Buchanan; and Chris Manion, a former AFPC senior fellow and Senate Foreign Relations staffer during 1981-1989 (see Chris Manion, "Our Finest Hour," Wall Street Journal, June 11, 1993).
AFPC "fellows and associates" include Stephen Yates, a former Heritage Foundation analyst who served for several years on Vice President Dick Cheney's national security staff along with a passel of other hardliners and neoconservatives, like John Hannah, Eric Edelman, and David Wurmser; E. Wayne Merry, a former career Foreign Service diplomat whose "areas of expertise" include European integration, Russian foreign policy, Central Asian political dynamics, and Greek terrorism; and Jonas Bernstein, a former correspondent for the Moscow Times who serves as editor of the AFPC's Russian Reform Monitor.
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Contact Information
American Foreign Policy Council
509 C Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Email: afpc@afpc.org
Phone: 202-543-1007
Fax: 202-543-1007
Web: http://www.afpc.org
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