Colin Powell, MBA - US - Iraq War - ProCon.org

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US - IRAQ WAR

Colin Powell, MBA Biography
Title:	Former US Secretary of State
Position:	Pro to the question "Should the US Have Attacked Iraq?"
Reasoning:	"I'm well aware of the role I played. My role has been very, very straightforward. I wanted to avoid a war. The president agreed with me. We tried to do that. We couldn't get it through the U.N. and when the president made the decision, I supported that decision. And I've never blinked from that. I've never said I didn't support a decision to go to war." Interview with reporters outside NBC studios, www.cnn.com, Oct. 19, 2008
Theoretical Expertise Ranking:	Experts Individuals with PhD's, JD's, or equivalent advanced degrees in fields relevant to the US - Iraq conflict. Also top-level government officials (such as foreign leaders, US presidents, Founding Fathers, Supreme Court Justices, members of legislative bodies, cabinet members, military leaders, etc.) with positions relevant to the US - Iraq conflict.
Involvement and Affiliations:	Strategic Limited Partner, Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (KPCB), 2005-present Founder and Chair, Colin Powell Policy Center, City College of New York Board Member, Council on Foreign Relations Board Member, Revolution Health US Secretary of State under President George W. Bush, 2001-2005 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, (the highest military position in the Department of Defense), 1989-1993 Promoted to General, US Army, 1989 Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor), 1987-1989 Commanding General of the Fifth Corps, US Army, Germany, 1986 Military Assistant to the US Secretary of Defense, 1983-1986 Chairman and Founder, America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth Former Member, Board of Trustees, Howard University Former Member, Board of Directors, United Negro College Fund Former Member, Board of Governors, Boys & Girls Clubs of America Former Member, Advisory Board, Children's Health Fund Served a White House fellowship under President Richard Nixon
Education:	MBA, George Washington University, 1971 BS, Geology, City College of New York, 1958
Other:	Honorary doctoral degree from Yeshiva University, 1993 Recipient, Ronald Reagan Freedom Award, 1993 Recipient, Distinguished Service Medal, Soldiers Medal, and the Secretary's Award, 1988 Recipient, Legion of Merit Award, 1971 Recipient, Legion of Merit Award, 1969 Recipient, Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, 1963 Born in Harlem on Apr. 5, 1937
Quoted in:	1. Was the phrase "imminent threat" used or implied by the Bush Administration before the invasion? 2. Did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction after the 1st Gulf War? 3. Did Saddam Hussein try to acquire uranium yellowcake or aluminum tubes for the purpose of developing nuclear weapons? 4. Did Saddam Hussein develop and maintain mobile labs for the purpose of biological and chemical weapon production? 5. Did Iraq under Saddam Hussein support Al Qaeda? 6. Did Saddam Hussein's violation of United Nation resolutions justify the invasion of Iraq? 7. Was the phrase "imminent threat" used by the Bush Administration to reference Iraq before the war? 8. Should the sectarian violence in Iraq in 2006 and 2007 have been described as a civil war? 9. Should the US apply the Geneva Conventions to prisoners detained in Guantanamo Bay? 10. Was the Iraqi government cooperative with the UN weapons inspectors in 2002 and 2003? 11. Did Saddam Hussein's violation of United Nation Security Council resolutions justify Iraq's invasion? 12. Did the Bush Administration support the idea of troop reduction or withdrawal? 13. To what extent was the US involved with the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)? 14. Did the US initially attempt to resolve the Iraq-Kuwait conflict peacefully?

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