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Paul Dundes Wolfowitz
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense
Iraq War Architect, Neoconservative Ideologue, World Bank Scandal
Overview
Paul Wolfowitz was the leading intellectual architect of the Iraq War as Deputy Secretary of Defense. A founding neoconservative who advocated for regime change in Iraq since the 1990s, he claimed the war would pay for itself through oil revenues and predicted US troops would be greeted as liberators. His catastrophically wrong predictions contributed to a war that killed hundreds of thousands. He later resigned from the World Bank in disgrace over a corruption scandal involving his girlfriend.
Key Affiliations
U.S. Department of Defense
Deputy Secretary (2001-2005)
agency
World Bank
President (2005-2007, resigned in scandal)
organization
Project for the New American Century
Founding Signatory
organization
U.S. Department of State
Ambassador to Indonesia (1986-1989)
agency
American Enterprise Institute
Visiting Scholar
organization
Johns Hopkins SAIS
Dean (1994-2001)
organization
Controversies & Concerns
IRAQ WAR ARCHITECT: Principal designer of Iraq invasion strategy, predicted"cakewalk"victory
"GREETED AS LIBERATORS": Predicted Iraqis would welcome US troops; catastrophically wrong
"WAR PAYS FOR ITSELF": Claimed Iraq oil would finance reconstruction; war cost $3+ trillion
TROOP LEVEL DISMISSALS: Attacked General Shinseki for saying 300,000 troops needed; sent far fewer
PNAC SIGNATORY: Signed 1998 letter calling for Iraq regime change, pre-planned invasion
OFFICE OF SPECIAL PLANS: Created parallel intelligence operation to"stovepipe"intel to White House
CURVEBALL CHAMPION: Promoted false intelligence about mobile bioweapon labs
WORLD BANK CORRUPTION: Resigned in disgrace after arranging massive pay raise for girlfriend Shaha Riza ($193,000)
INDONESIA DICTATORSHIP: As ambassador, supported Suharto dictatorship during human rights abuses
CASUALTY DENIALISM: Dramatically underestimated war casualties, showed callous disregard
Related Investigations (4)
Criminal Charges & Violations
6 documented violations
Nuremberg Principle VI(a)Crime Against Peace; Planning aggressive war on false pretenses(International)
Rome Statute Article 8(2)(b)(iv)War Crime; Excessive incidental death through inadequate planning(War Crimes)
Rome Statute Article 8(2)(a)(i)War Crime; Willful killing through inadequate troop levels(War Crimes)
18 U.S.C. § 1001False Statements; Presenting manipulated intelligence to Congress(Federal)
World Bank Staff RulesCorruption; Ethics violations, girlfriend pay raise(International)
UN Charter Article 2(4)Prohibition on Use of Force; Planning illegal war(International)
Known Associates & Connections
Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense, direct supervisor
Dick Cheney
Vice President, neoconservative ally
George W. Bush
President, sold on Iraq War vision
Condoleezza Rice
NSA, Iraq planning coordination
Colin Powell
Secretary of State, skeptic of his views
Douglas Feith
Undersecretary, Office of Special Plans
Richard Perle
Fellow neoconservative, Defense Policy Board
Scooter Libby
Former student, Cheney chief of staff
Sources & Documentation
6 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- December 22, 1943
- Birthplace
- Brooklyn, New York City, USA
- Also Known As
- Wolfie, The Architect, Neocon-in-Chief
Education
- •Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Chicago (1972)
- •B.A. in Mathematics, Cornell University (1965)
Key Timeline
December 22, 1943
Born in Brooklyn, NY to Polish Jewish immigrants
1972
Earns PhD from University of Chicago under Albert Wohlstetter
1977-1980
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense under Carter
1986-1989
Ambassador to Indonesia under Reagan, supports Suharto
1989-1993
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy under George H.W. Bush
1992
Authors Defense Planning Guidance calling for American hegemony
1994-2001
Dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS
1997
Co-founds Project for the New American Century
1998
Signs PNAC letter calling for Iraq regime change
January 2001
Becomes Deputy Secretary of Defense
September 11, 2001
Immediately focuses on Iraq despite al-Qaeda responsibility
2002
Creates Office of Special Plans for Iraq intelligence
February 2003
"Greeted as liberators"testimony to Congress
March 2003
"War will pay for itself"claim before Congress
March 2003
Iraq War begins under his strategic vision
2004-2005
Iraq insurgency contradicts all his predictions
June 2005
Becomes World Bank President
April 2007
Girlfriend pay raise scandal emerges
May 2007
Resigns from World Bank in disgrace
Present
American Enterprise Institute visiting scholar, unrepentant