Syria Strike Gives Veteran Neocon Signs Of Hope For Trump
Paul Wolfowitz Image by Getty Images
By Nathan Guttman April 24, 2017
Neoconservatives die hard, and Paul Wolfowitz, one of the leaders of this school of thought, is no exception.
The former deputy defense secretary during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars has reemerged in the spotlights, calling on the new administration to assert a bold American stance in the Middle East and expressing reserved optimism about President Trump’s chances of doing so.
“I don’t think anyone would deny that he’s opportunistic, and I don’t think anyone would deny that he would like to be ‘the greatest president in modern times’ or ‘huge’ or you pick your adjective,” Wolfowitz told the Global Politico podcast. “And I think to achieve a Dayton-like peace settlement in Syria would not only be something that would be widely acclaimed, it would be hugely in the interest of the United States.”
Wolfowitz has been preaching for increased American involvement in Iraq and in Syria, despite what he acknowledges is a lack of enthusiasm in America for “heroic ventures in the Middle East.” He has also conveyed his thoughts to National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and to Defense Secretary James Mattis. Trump’s decision to launch a missile attack against Syria following the use of chemical weapons by Bashar al-Assad has given Wolfowitz reason to believe Trump may be up for a greater role in the Middle East, as long as he doesn’t see the attack as a one-off.
“I think there is a fantastic opportunity here. It’s only a first step, it’s only an opportunity,” Wolfowitz said in the interview. “If nothing is done to follow up on it, it will start to seem a little bit silly in retrospect; certainly the enthusiasm will seem silly. But more importantly it will look like a lost opportunity in retrospect.”
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
