Debunking The `Neocon'
Conspiracy Theory
Who's really steering U.S. foreign policy?
AMY KELLER
Jewish Renaissance Media
"I'm not a neocon, I'm a gentile."
— Conservative columnist
and author Ann Coulter
its origins come from the Hebrew word
Kabbalah, which refers to Jewish mysti-
cism — are Richard Perle, a member of
the Pentagon's influential Defense
Policy Board; Paul Wolfowitz, deputy
secretary of defense, and Douglas Feith,
undersecretary of defense for policy.
Other central figures often accused of
having a "dual loyalty" include Elliott
Abrams, a member of the National
Security Council; Kenneth Adelman, a
former Reagan administration official;
all of the neoconservatives — are
Jewish and virtually all are strong sup-
porters of the Likud Party's policies,
the accusation has been made that
their aim to 'democratize' the region is
driven by their desire to surround
Israel with more sympathetic neigh-
bors," wrote Washington journalist
Elizabeth Drew recently in the New
tute's Weinstein.
"There are four major players now
running American policy — President
Bush, No. 1; No. 2, [Vice President]
Dick Cheney; No. 3 is [Secretary of
Defense] Don Rumsfeld and No. 4 is
[Secretary of State] Colin Powell and
three and four switch back and forth,"
Weinstein said. "The whole notion
that there is some cabal of people
pulling the strings is ludicrous."
Or is it?
enneth Weinstein sounds
IC perplexed.
York Times Review of Books.
The Washington, D.C.-
After all, Drew said, that might
based vice president and
explain
Wolfowitz's pre-war declara-
chief operating officer of the conserva-
tion that "the road to
tive Hudson Institute
peace in the Middle East
think tank says he can't
Likud Connection
goes through Baghdad"
seem to go anywhere
In
1996, Perle, Feith and Wurmser
as she further noted
these days without being
collaborated
on a policy paper for the
President Bush's apparent
drawn into a conversa-
government of newly elected Israeli
appetite
for
Jewish
votes
tion about how "the
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
in 2004.
American Zionists have
The paper, called "A Clean Break: A
Right-wing
commenta-
taken over" the Bush
New Strategy for Securing the Realm"
tor
Pat
Buchanan
is
also
administration.
and published by the Jerusalem-based
fond of criticizing the
"Look, the whole thing
Institute for Advanced Strategic and
neocons and their con-
is completely comical,"
Political Studies, was a blueprint of
nection
to
Israel.
In
one
Weinstein said in a recent
sorts for how Israel's new leaders
column,
he
wrote:
interview, explaining his
should handle the Palestinian conflict.
"What these neoconserv-
bewilderment that "the lit-
Seven years later, the document has
atives
seek
is
to
conscript
tle world of public policy
-become perhaps the most-cited and
American
blood
to
make
think tanks and dweebs"
damning piece of evidence in the anti-
the world safe for Israel.
has been cast as some sort
neocon dossier.
They want the peace of
of cabal that is pulling the
The paper suggested that Netanyahu
the
sword
imposed
on
strings of American for-
abandon
the Oslo peace process,
Islam
and
American
sol-
Depuol Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz right, hakes hands with
eign policy leaders.
reassert
Israel's
claims to the West
diers
to
die,
if
necessary,
Spec. Fernando Alvarez, of Omaha, at a U.S. base near Tuzla, Borsnia, in
For those who haven't
Bank
and
Gaza
Strip and remove Iraqi
to
impose
it."
heard the conspiracy the- May.
leader Saddam Hussein from power.
Libertarians
are
particu-
ory — which has been
Toppling Iraq's Baathists, the paper's
larly suspect of the neo-
circulating through
authors argued, was a necessary first
con influence on American policy.
David Wurmser, a special assistant to
Europe and the Middle East for some
step toward transforming the Middle
"Those
who
scheme
are
proud
of
State Department chief arms control
time before making it to the floor of
East and destabilizing other enemies of
their
achievements
in
usurping
control
negotiator John Bolton, and a long list
Congress and into the pages of main-
Israel in the region — namely Syria,
over
foreign
policy.
These
are
the
neo-
of media types and policy wonks.
stream U.S. news media — it goes
Saudi Arabia and Iran.
conservatives
of
recent
fame,"
Rep.
something like this:
The Arab press labeled the paper a
Ron
Paul,
an
ardent
libertarian,
A few dozen crafty neoconservatives
"U.S.-Israeli
neoconservative mani-
Challenge To Neocons
declared last month in the House of
— in short, former liberals with hawk-
festo"
because
of its call for regime
Representatives.
ish intentions and often Jewish-sound- But as Americans came home from
changes.
And
Arab
Americans, such as
The
Texas
Republican
pointed
to
Iraq in body bags, with no weapons of
ing surnames — have abducted U.S.
James
Zogby,
president
of the Arab
what
he
termed
the
"abundant
evi-
mass destruction found and the White
foreign policy and surreptitiously
American
Institute
in
Washington,
dence
exposing
those
who
drive
our
House forced to answer questions
forced the nation down a heady path
DC., called it "disturbing."
foreign policy justifying preemptive
about botched intelligence reports on
of imperialism intended to help Israel
Conspiracy theorists also point to a
war"
as
well
as
their
"[unconditional]
uranium,
the
who's-responsible
ques-
and the Likud Party.
1998
letter that Perle and more than
support for Israel" and "close alliance
tion is landing more darts in the neo-
Among those most often accused of
two
dozen
other prominent neocons
with the Likud Party."
cons' back yard.
leading the so-called cabal — an inter-
signed
urging
the Clinton administra-
Hogwash, says the Hudson Insti-
"Because some — but certainly not
esting choice of words considering that
8/29
2003
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