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William Kristol
Neoconservative Commentator
Political Commentator, Iraq War Advocate
Overview
William Kristol is a prominent neoconservative political commentator who was one of the most influential advocates for the Iraq War. He co-founded the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which advocated for regime change in Iraq years before 9/11. As editor of The Weekly Standard (1995-2018), he used his platform to push for military intervention. Though he later became a critic of Trump, his advocacy for the Iraq War contributed to a conflict that killed hundreds of thousands.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
IRAQ WAR ADVOCACY: Aggressively promoted Iraq invasion based on false WMD claims
PNAC LETTER: 1998 letter to Clinton calling for Iraq regime change
WAR CHEERLEADING: Predicted quick, easy victory in Iraq
NEVER APOLOGIZED: Despite war's catastrophic outcome, never fully acknowledged error
SAUDI ARABIA: Advocated regime change in multiple Middle Eastern countries
Related Investigations (1)
Criminal Charges & Violations
1 documented violations
Moral ResponsibilityAdvocacy for illegal war resulting in mass casualties(War Crimes (Moral))
Known Associates & Connections
Robert Kagan
PNAC co-founder
Dick Cheney
PNAC member, Iraq War architect
Donald Rumsfeld
PNAC signatory, Iraq War architect
Paul Wolfowitz
PNAC signatory, Iraq War architect
Irving Kristol
Father, neoconservative founder
Sources & Documentation
2 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- December 23, 1952
- Birthplace
- New York City, USA
Education
- •Harvard University, BA
- •Harvard University, PhD Political Philosophy
Key Timeline
December 23, 1952
Born in New York City
1976
Earns PhD from Harvard
1985-1988
Chief of Staff to VP Dan Quayle
1995
Founds The Weekly Standard
1997
Co-founds Project for the New American Century
January 26, 1998
Signs PNAC letter calling for Iraq regime change
2002-2003
Advocates heavily for Iraq invasion
2003
Iraq War begins
2016
Breaks with Republican Party over Trump
2018
The Weekly Standard closes