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

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO