264:, Pollack argued "the only prudent and realistic course of action left to the United States is to mount a full-scale invasion of Iraq to smash the Iraqi armed forces, depose Saddam's regime, and rid the country of weapons of mass destruction." Pollack predicted, "It is unimaginable that the United States would have to contribute hundreds of billions of dollars and highly unlikely that we would have to contribute even tens of billions of dollars." Likewise, he wrote, "we should not exaggerate the danger of casualties among American troops. U.S. forces in Bosnia have not suffered a single casualty from hostile action because they have become so attentive and skillful at force protection."
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triggering regional wars among neighboring states) that the early evidence so far suggested that the United States should be prepared for Iraq's potential descent into all-out civil war to be on the worse end of the spectrum. The book went on to lay out thirteen different ways that the United States and its allies might fashion a "containment" strategy for Iraq, which offered some chance of preventing all-out civil war in Iraq from destabilizing the wider
31:
431:, former commander of Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq LTG James M. Dubik, US Army Retired, described the book as providing a clear description of America's vital interests in the Middle East and presenting well-documented, cogent arguments on the threats posed by the regional anger and frustration bred by crippling societal problems. Pollack recommends a grand strategy for the United States and its allies in which they
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Destroying al-Qaida, Setting Israel and
Palestine on the Road to Peace, and Then, a Year or Two Down the Road After Some Diplomacy, Invading Iraq. In interviews and op-ed articles, Pollack himself still supports the war, saying that now is better than never. But it's fair to say that his book does not—or at least not Bush's path to it.
271:, in supporting the Iraq war in 2003, wrote "Kenneth Pollack, the Clinton National Security Council expert whose argument for invading Iraq is surely the most influential book of this season, has provided intellectual cover for every liberal who finds himself inclining toward war but uneasy about Mr. Bush." Liberal writer
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Of course, those of us who read
Pollack's celebrated 2002 book, "The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq," and became convinced as a result that the United States needed to, well, invade Iraq in order to dismantle Saddam Hussein's advanced nuclear weapons program (the one he didn't actually
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encourage and enable the countries of the Middle East to pursue a gradual process of political, economic and social reform—one that grows from within, rather than being imposed from without; one that reflects the values, traditions, history and aspirations of the people of the region themselves, not
395:
with Daniel L. Byman. This book analyzed 12 recent civil wars to derive six common ways in which fullscale ethnic civil wars "spillover" to affect neighboring states. Pollack and Byman argued that while spillover can range from modest effects to very severe problems (like causing other civil wars or
400:
region in the event that
American efforts to stabilize the country failed. While Pollack and Byman argued that such a containment strategy would be very difficult to make work given the historical problems of doing so and the specific problems created by previous American actions in Iraq, they also
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given how far down the road the Bush
Administration has taken us, I think that we have no realistic choice but to go to war this year. And yet I think the Administration has handled the diplomacy and public diplomacy of coalition building very poorly, and I am deeply concerned about the impact this
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Six months after The
Threatening Storm's publication, however, Pollack's book reads as much like an indictment of the Bush administration's overeagerness to go to war as it does an endorsement of it. A more appropriate subtitle for the book would have been The Case for Rebuilding Afghanistan,
339:, which entailed a buildup of US ground forces to improve the security of the Iraqi population and help Iraq increase its governmental capacity, develop employment programs, and improve daily life for its citizens. He laid out some of his arguments in support of the surge in the June 2007
633:
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and hardliners who fear U.S. attack and so seek a nuclear deterrent, - the United States can thus exploit this divide to negotiate a favourable agreement. He also argued that the hardliners leader, Supreme Leader
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concluded that containment would likely prove
America's least bad option because U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf were so important that Washington would have to try to mitigate the impact of spillover.
322:
Pollack responded to the
Suellentrop article by saying that he was unhappy that many people seemed to have read only the subtitle of his book, which had not been his choice. He also said:
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Many critics, as well as many of those who used the book to justify their support of the invasion, overlooked the more balanced presentation on the pros and cons of war to be found in
109:, "where he works on Middle Eastern political-military affairs, focusing in particular on Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf countries. Before that he was Senior Fellow at the
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a
Western guess at them; one that recognizes that reform and stability are not mutually exclusive but mutually reinforcing—and ultimately mutually essential.
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by force is the best way of dealing with Iran because Iran's policy-makers are divided between pragmatists who are motivated by a desire to improve the
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the "most meretricious contribution" to the pre-war "debate" on military action and included it in the select bibliography section of his 2005 book
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Interfaith
Families: "Interfaith Celebrities: High Holiday Celebrity Goings-on, a New Congressional Memoir and a Possible Beatle Conversion?"
721:, Chris Suellentrop, "Kenneth Pollack's The Threatening Storm: Does the 'invade Iraq book say what you think it does?'," Slate, 5 March 2003
420:. He currently teaches Security Problems of the Middle East / Persian Gulf and Military Analysis at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service.
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as their director of national security studies. He has also written seven books, the first two of which were published in 2002. His first
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was simply too volatile and aggressive in his policies to be trusted not to begin another conflict in a volatile region. In
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staff and has written several articles and books on international relations. Currently, he is a resident scholar at the
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in order to "show just how specific – and misleading – were the efforts to persuade
Americans to invade."
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of 1991. He says that the United States should invade Iraq, and describes ways of going about it. Pollack argued that
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will have both on postwar reconstruction and on our ability to garner allies for the inevitable next crisis.
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758:, LTG James M. Dubik, "Throwing Out a Challenge: A New Strategy for the Middle East," Army, December 2008
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Pollack is credited with persuading liberals of the case for the Iraq war. New York Times columnist
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He has served in a variety of roles in government. From 1988 until 1995, he was an analyst on
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252:(pub. 2002), Pollack details the history of United States actions against Iraq since the
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747:, Michael E. O'Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack, "A War We Just Might Win," 30 July 2007
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732:, J.D. Conner, "Unsubtle Subtitle: Kenneth Pollack on The Case for Invading Iraq,"
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313:. As Chris Suellentrop of Slate pointed out before the invasion on March 5, 2003:
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Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness
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A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East
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A Path Out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East
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have) might feel a little too bitter to once again defer to our betters.
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he argued that though the threat of force is necessary in dealing with
232:, examined the foreign policy of six Arab nations in the years between
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Things Fall Apart: Containing the Spillover from an Iraqi Civil War
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Things Fall Apart: Containing the Spillover from an Iraqi Civil War
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The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East
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He has written numerous articles for publications such as the
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article "A War We Just Might Win," which was co-authored with
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Affairs. He also served two stints as a professor with the
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The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America
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359:, was published. In contrast to his views on Iraq, in
165:, the daughter of the well-known broadcast journalist
679:, Columbia Journalism Review, November/December 2007
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alleged that Pollack provided information to former
201:. In 1999, he rejoined the NSC as the Director for
547:Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy
250:The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq
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478:Arabs at War: Military Effectiveness, 1948-1991
818:"Kenneth Pollack's New History of Arab Armies"
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416:. He has also repeatedly testified before the
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665:Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq
491:Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq
468:. In April 2009, the indictment was dropped.
427:, was published in July 2008. In a review in
900:Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
331:Pollack later was a strong supporter of the
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710:. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, pp. 922, 1062.
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440:
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905:People of the Central Intelligence Agency
288:Many have criticized his support for the
212:Outside of government, he worked for the
847:Biography from the Brookings Institution
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768:Bush officials subpoenaed in AIPAC trial
454:American Israel Public Affairs Committee
199:United States National Security Council
877:
789:"U.S. Drops Case Against Ex-Lobbyists"
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480:, University of Nebraska Press, 2002,
391:In 2007, Pollack co-authored the book
292:, including Middle East correspondent
279:also attested to Pollack's influence:
689:D.C. elites want you to shush on Iraq
523:, Brookings Institution Press, 2007,
350:
774:, 13 March 2006, retrieved July 2007
218:Saban Center for Middle East Policy
216:as the director of research at its
121:, a global business strategy firm.
111:Saban Center for Middle East Policy
16:Political scientist and CIA analyst
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646:Jerome, Richard (March 24, 2003).
418:Senate Foreign Relations Committee
189:. He spent a year as Director for
86:(born 1966) is an American former
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562:, Oxford University Press, 2018,
141:, in 1988, and went on to earn a
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636:By Nate Bloom. November 8, 2011
587:"Kenneth Pollack - AEI Scholar"
220:. He previously worked for the
37:Miller Center of Public Affairs
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549:, Simon & Schuster, 2013,
303:The Great War for Civilisation
101:affairs. He has served on the
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107:American Enterprise Institute
915:Brookings Institution people
333:Iraq War troop surge of 2007
222:Council of Foreign Relations
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207:National Defense University
187:Central Intelligence Agency
133:family, Pollack obtained a
48:1966 (age 57–58)
10:
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895:20th-century American Jews
119:Albright Stonebridge Group
355:In 2004, his third book,
244:Advocacy of Iraq invasion
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103:National Security Council
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185:military issues for the
125:Early life and education
117:and a senior advisor at
35:Pollack speaking at the
615:. Brookings Institution
466:AIPAC espionage scandal
441:Allegation of espionage
149:, under supervision of
84:Kenneth Michael Pollack
910:Yale University alumni
536:, Random House, 2008,
506:, Random House, 2004,
493:, Random House, 2002,
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423:Pollack's fifth book,
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161:Pollack is married to
93:analyst and expert on
823:The National Interest
704:Fisk, Robert (2006).
589:. AEI. Archived from
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335:advocated by General
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311:The Threatening Storm
298:The Threatening Storm
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262:The Threatening Storm
214:Brookings Institution
115:Brookings Institution
816:(10 February 2019).
691:, Matthew Yglesias,
667:, Random House, 2002
248:In his second book,
613:"Kenneth M Pollack"
345:Michael E. O'Hanlon
852:Kenneth M. Pollack
456:(AIPAC) employees
386:nuclear capability
361:The Persian Puzzle
357:The Persian Puzzle
351:Other publications
23:Kenneth M. Pollack
693:Los Angeles Times
197:Affairs with the
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254:Persian Gulf War
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861:Appearances
464:during the
294:Robert Fisk
269:Bill Keller
195:South Asian
153:, in 1996.
151:Barry Posen
95:Middle East
53:Nationality
879:Categories
574:References
450:indictment
167:Ted Koppel
129:Born to a
75:Ted Koppel
798:April 25,
369:diplomacy
226:monograph
191:Near East
71:Relatives
619:24 April
597:24 April
341:NY Times
277:LA Times
236:and the
99:military
56:American
39:in 2012.
829:3 April
519:, with
377:economy
275:in the
183:Iranian
113:at the
865:C-SPAN
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173:Career
131:Jewish
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734:Slate
472:Books
179:Iraqi
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856:IMDb
831:2019
800:2019
621:2019
599:2019
564:ISBN
551:ISBN
538:ISBN
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460:and
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365:Iran
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45:Born
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147:MIT
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88:CIA
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