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US - IRAQ WAR
Last updated on: 9/24/2009 12:04:00 PM PST US - Iraq War Home Page > Source Biographies > >Richard N. Haass, PhD

Richard N. Haass, PhD Biography

Title: President of the Council on Foreign Relations
Position: Now Con to the question "Should the US Have Attacked Iraq?"
Reasoning:
"I thought it was a war of choice, and it was a bad choice, and it was going to distract and distort American foreign policy. But, as history shows, and as you know as well as anybody, people like me were in a distinct minority, and did not prevail."
Interview with Chris Matthews, Hardball, www.msnbc.com, May 6, 2009
[Editor's Note: Prior to Richard Haass' May 6, 2009 Con position statement made above, his position was Pro as indicated in his Mar. 7, 2003 interview with Charlie Rose below.]

"Richard Haass: ...Saddam Hussein has destroyed his own country, he's squandered its resources. What we're seeing potentially here is the opportunity to give Iraqis the future that they've been denied now for several decades.

Charlie Rose: How do you avoid the impression among some that it is, in fact, an occupation and everybody in the Middle East, regardless of their religious affiliation, does not want to see the most powerful country in the world occupying any country in the region.

Richard Haass: I can understand that. I think one of the ways you'll see it is when the Iraqi people, I would predict, look fairly happy that they've been liberated. I think that will go some ways toward calming people's fears...

It's our hope to have this move along as quickly as is possible. The whole idea here is to empower Iraqis to run their own country. We're not after this for Iraqi oil. We're not after this to be an occupying power. To the contrary, this is about a liberation and as quickly as Iraqis are able to take care of themselves and their own country, they will have that full opportunity."
Interview with Charlie Rose, www.charlierose.com, Mar. 7, 2003
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:
  • President, Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), 2003-present
  • Director of Policy Planning and Principal Adviser to Secretary of State Colin Powell, US Department of State, 2001-2003
  • US Coordinator, Afghanistan policy
  • Special Assistant to President George H.W. Bush and Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs, National Security Council, 1989-1993
  • Recipient, Presidential Citizens Medal, for contributions to the development and articulation of US policy during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1991
  • Staff, US Department of State, 1981-1985
  • Staff, US Department of Defense, 1979-1980
  • Former Legislative Aide, US Senate
  • Former Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies, Brookings Institution
  • Former Sol M. Linowitz Visiting Professor of International Studies, Hamilton College
  • Former Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  • Former Lecturer in Public Policy, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
  • Former Research Associate, International Institute for Strategic Studies
  • Rhodes Scholar
  • Recipient, US State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award, for work on the Northern Ireland peace process
  • Education:
  • PhD, Oxford University
  • MA, Oxford University
  • BA, Oberlin College, 1973
  • Other:
  • Served as US coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan
  • Served as US envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process
  • Quoted in:
    • 1. Did the UN Security Council Resolution 1441 provide sufficient legal basis for military action against Iraq?
    US - Iraq War Homepage
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    1
    Did You Know?
    2
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    Historical Timeline, Pre-History - 1989
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    US-Iraq Relations by US President, 1981-Mar. 19, 2003
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    Justifications for Invading Iraq
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    US Troop Reduction or Withdrawal
    + DIG DEEPER...
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    Glossary
    Arab League Reference
    Ethnic and Religious Groups In Iraq
    Downing Street Memo
    Iraq Statements by Former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice
    Iraq Statements by Former US Department of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
    Iraq Statements by Former US Secretary of State Colin Powell
    Iraq Statements by US President George W. Bush
    Iraq Statements by US Vice President Cheney
    New Iraqi Flag Approved by Iraqi Lawmakers
    President Bush Announces Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended
    Remarks to the United Nations Security Council from US Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.
    Saddam Hussein Executed on December 30, 2006
    43rd US President Speaks to the United Nations General Assembly
    Oct. 2002 Congressional Votes Authorizing the President
    to Use Military Force Against Iraq
    Massive Reconstruction Waste in Iraq Says Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction
    2012 Presidential Candidates' Positions on US-Iraq War
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