Chalabigate
"Weapons of Mass Deception"
2003-05-10
Michael Ledeen, neoconservative guru,
William O Beeman
The Daily Star, 5/10/03
Most Americans have never heard of Michael Ledeen, but if the United States ends up in an extended shooting war throughout the Middle East, it will be largely due to his inspiration.
A fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Leeden has the cachet of a doctorate in history and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin. He is a former employee of the Pentagon, the State Department and the National Security Council. As a consultant working with NSC head Robert McFarlaine, he was involved in the transfer of arms to Iran during the Iran-Contra Affair an adventure that he documented in the book Perilous Statecraft: An Insider’s Account of the Iran-Contra Affair.
Ledeen’s ideas are quoted daily by such figures as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. His views virtually define the stark departure from American foreign policy philosophy that has characterized United States actions since Sept. 11, 2001. He basically believes that violence in the service of the spread of democracy is America’s manifest destiny. Consequently, he has become the philosophical legitimator of the American occupation of Iraq.
Now Michael Ledeen is calling for “regime change” beyond Iraq. In an address titled Time to Focus on Iran The Mother of Modern Terrorism, for the policy forum of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) on April 30, he declared: “the time for diplomacy is at the end; it is time for a free Iran, free Syria and free Lebanon.”
A further sample of quotes from his work reveals a peculiar set of beliefs about American attitudes toward violence. “Change above all violent change is the essence of human history,” he proclaims in his book Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli’s Iron Rules Are as Timely and Important Today as Five Centuries Ago. In an essay in the National Review Online he asserts: “Creative destruction is our middle name. We do it automatically … it is time once again to export the democratic revolution.”
Through his writings, Ledeen has become the driving philosophical force behind the neoconservative movement and the military actions it has spawned. His 1996 book, Freedom Betrayed: How the United States Led a Global Domocratic Revolution, Won the Cold War and Walked Away, reveals the basic neoconservative obsession: Ledeen and his friends are frustrated that the United States never “won” the Cold War. The Soviet Union collapsed of its own weight without a shot being fired. Had the United States truly won, democratic institutions would be sprouting everywhere the threat of Communism had been rife.
Iraq, Iran and Syria are the first and foremost nations where this should happen, according to Ledeen. The process by which this should be achieved is a violent one, termed “total war.” This “not only destroys the enemy’s military forces, but also brings the enemy society to an extremely personal point of decision, so that they are willing to accept a reversal of the cultural trends,” he writes. “The sparing of civilian lives cannot be the total war’s first priority ... The purpose of total war is to permanently force your will onto another people.”
The incipient invasion of Iran and Syria that Ledeen is pushing is framed in precisely these terms. “No one I know wants to wage war on Iran and Syria, but I believe there is now a clear recognition that we must defend ourselves against them,” he wrote on May 6 in the Toronto Globe and Mail. This quote was followed on the same day by remarks made in an American Enterprise Institute conference on The Future of Iran, where Leeden strongly endorsed regime change in Iran.
Despite his influence in Washington, Ledeen has not been singled out for much media attention by the Bush administration. When one sees him at all, it is preaching to the choir in conservative outlets like the Fox television network. It could be that his views are seen as too strong for the American public. Most Americans prefer to think of the United States pursuing violence only when attacked, and manifesting primarily altruistic goals toward other nations. Ledeen’s hawkish views might well cause alarm among all but the most die-hard radical right-wing.
To be sure, a final decision has not been made on whether Washington will continue military action in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. However, Ledeen has a notable track record. He was calling for attacks against Iraq throughout the 90s. The US invasion of March 20 was a total fulfillment of his proposals. His pronouncements seem to embolden the most hawkish US officials. Americans should not be surprised if Leeden’s words come true.
William O. Beeman teaches anthropology and is director of Middle East studies at Brown University. He is the author of Language, Status and Power in Iran, and two forthcoming books: Double Demons: Cultural Impediments to US-Iranian Understanding, and Iraq: State in Search of a Nation. His e-mail address is: william_beeman@brown.edu
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
The Daily Star, 5/10/03
Most Americans have never heard of Michael Ledeen, but if the United States ends up in an extended shooting war throughout the Middle East, it will be largely due to his inspiration.
A fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Leeden has the cachet of a doctorate in history and philosophy from the University of Wisconsin. He is a former employee of the Pentagon, the State Department and the National Security Council. As a consultant working with NSC head Robert McFarlaine, he was involved in the transfer of arms to Iran during the Iran-Contra Affair an adventure that he documented in the book Perilous Statecraft: An Insider’s Account of the Iran-Contra Affair.
Ledeen’s ideas are quoted daily by such figures as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld and Paul Wolfowitz. His views virtually define the stark departure from American foreign policy philosophy that has characterized United States actions since Sept. 11, 2001. He basically believes that violence in the service of the spread of democracy is America’s manifest destiny. Consequently, he has become the philosophical legitimator of the American occupation of Iraq.
Now Michael Ledeen is calling for “regime change” beyond Iraq. In an address titled Time to Focus on Iran The Mother of Modern Terrorism, for the policy forum of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) on April 30, he declared: “the time for diplomacy is at the end; it is time for a free Iran, free Syria and free Lebanon.”
A further sample of quotes from his work reveals a peculiar set of beliefs about American attitudes toward violence. “Change above all violent change is the essence of human history,” he proclaims in his book Machiavelli on Modern Leadership: Why Machiavelli’s Iron Rules Are as Timely and Important Today as Five Centuries Ago. In an essay in the National Review Online he asserts: “Creative destruction is our middle name. We do it automatically … it is time once again to export the democratic revolution.”
Through his writings, Ledeen has become the driving philosophical force behind the neoconservative movement and the military actions it has spawned. His 1996 book, Freedom Betrayed: How the United States Led a Global Domocratic Revolution, Won the Cold War and Walked Away, reveals the basic neoconservative obsession: Ledeen and his friends are frustrated that the United States never “won” the Cold War. The Soviet Union collapsed of its own weight without a shot being fired. Had the United States truly won, democratic institutions would be sprouting everywhere the threat of Communism had been rife.
Iraq, Iran and Syria are the first and foremost nations where this should happen, according to Ledeen. The process by which this should be achieved is a violent one, termed “total war.” This “not only destroys the enemy’s military forces, but also brings the enemy society to an extremely personal point of decision, so that they are willing to accept a reversal of the cultural trends,” he writes. “The sparing of civilian lives cannot be the total war’s first priority ... The purpose of total war is to permanently force your will onto another people.”
The incipient invasion of Iran and Syria that Ledeen is pushing is framed in precisely these terms. “No one I know wants to wage war on Iran and Syria, but I believe there is now a clear recognition that we must defend ourselves against them,” he wrote on May 6 in the Toronto Globe and Mail. This quote was followed on the same day by remarks made in an American Enterprise Institute conference on The Future of Iran, where Leeden strongly endorsed regime change in Iran.
Despite his influence in Washington, Ledeen has not been singled out for much media attention by the Bush administration. When one sees him at all, it is preaching to the choir in conservative outlets like the Fox television network. It could be that his views are seen as too strong for the American public. Most Americans prefer to think of the United States pursuing violence only when attacked, and manifesting primarily altruistic goals toward other nations. Ledeen’s hawkish views might well cause alarm among all but the most die-hard radical right-wing.
To be sure, a final decision has not been made on whether Washington will continue military action in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. However, Ledeen has a notable track record. He was calling for attacks against Iraq throughout the 90s. The US invasion of March 20 was a total fulfillment of his proposals. His pronouncements seem to embolden the most hawkish US officials. Americans should not be surprised if Leeden’s words come true.
William O. Beeman teaches anthropology and is director of Middle East studies at Brown University. He is the author of Language, Status and Power in Iran, and two forthcoming books: Double Demons: Cultural Impediments to US-Iranian Understanding, and Iraq: State in Search of a Nation. His e-mail address is: william_beeman@brown.edu
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Milton Frihetsson, 17:57
