by Jim Lobe
There’s no doubt that Ahmad Chalabi earned that title, at least insofar as he manipulated the world’s most powerful nation into a disastrous war. Whether he did so on behalf of Iran or, more likely, simply to further his own very large ambitions will presumably be a very interesting focus of debate among historians and his biographers for decades.
I look forward to eulogies by Richard Perle, Bernard Lewis, Jim Woolsey, and, of course, Paul Wolfowitz, among so many others neocons who were conned by this truly remarkable operator.
Perle never gave up on him, while the brilliant Wall Street Journal editorial board writers were still promoting him at least as late as 2010. And Perle as late as 2014! And think of all the prominent useful idiots (like George Shultz and Joe Lieberman) who effectively acted as his front organization in the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq…
And now he’s dead. Both the American Enterprise Institute, which did so much to boost his career, and the IRGC, are in mourning today.
Chalabi hoped to gain great riches from the US overthrow of Saddam Hussein. A number of his American neocon accomplices had the same object.
It seems more logical to assume that Richard perle,Bernard Lewis,Jim woolsey,Paul Wolfowitz….. And the likes used this dubious character to pull worlds greatest nation into a destructive war in Iraq than vice verse. The neocons had already made up their minds on the subject of war with Iraq ,they were just looking for any excuse (however dubious and unreliable ) to pull the American Army behind them.Was Chalabi responsible for CIA , MI6 and Israeli intelligence reports too ? And many other fabricated intelligence reports and analysis ? Did Chalabi convince the western media (specially the American media) to prepare the public minds to favour destruction of Iraq ? Can anyone ever convince the US and its allies to form a “coalition” force to destroy Iraq ? …….
I am surprised at you Mr.Jim Lobe.
Mostafa – – Chalabi and the neocons did not want to “destroy Iraq”. They hoped to control a rich Gulf state, to enrich themselves.
Chalabi was only a stupid instrument used by big shot Neocons to start the war against Iraq and at the end to enrich themselves. It did not matter for them how many Americans or Iraqi people died or what would be the consequences for the region. It is more than ten years after the invasion…. Look at the Middle East now ; Iraq is centuries away from democracy & human rights, Syria in in a wild and endless civil war with millions of innocent poeple flowing around as refugees, Taliban is still ruling Afganistan, civil war started in Yemen and a Tyrant ruler in Turkey…. So the Neocons & Chalabi brought democracy to the MIDDLE EAST !!!!! It’s like a terrible joke isn’t it ?
Eren – – Chalabi skillfully played those neocons who actually believed their own propaganda about “bringing democracy” to the Middle East. Other neocns were in it for wealth and power, and to “protect” Israel.