David Wurmser
Encyclopedia
David Wurmser is a Swiss-born American
foreign policy specialist. He served as Middle East
Adviser to former US Vice President Dick Cheney, as special assistant to John R. Bolton
at the State Department and as a research fellow on the Middle East
at the American Enterprise Institute
(AEI). He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
in international relations
from Johns Hopkins University
. In 2008, Wurmser was listed as a member of the board of advisors of the Endowment for Middle East Truth
, a group which was involved in the distribution of over 20 million DVDs of the film Obsession
in swing states prior to the 2008 US Presidential election. Wurmser is the founder of the Delphi Global Analysis Grouphttp://delphiglobalanalysis.com/delphi_staff.html, which aims to provide quality, in-depth consulting with a select group of clients to give them a competitive advantage on all affairs related to political risk.
i Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. This advocated pre-emptive strikes against Iran
and Syria
, the removal of Saddam Hussein
from Iraq
and the abandonment of traditional "land for peace" negotiations with Palestinians.
In 1999, Wurmser wrote "Tyranny's Ally: America's Failure to Defeat Saddam Hussein" (published by AEI Press), which argued that Clinton policies in Iraq were failing to contain the country.
In 2000, Wurmser helped draft a document entitled "Ending Syria’s Occupation of Lebanon: the US Role?", which called for a confrontation with the regime in Damascus. The document said that Syria
was developing "weapons of mass destruction
".
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith
appointed Wurmser and veteran defense analyst Michael Maloof as a two-man Pentagon
intelligence unit. One of their products, days after the attacks, was a memo that suggested "hitting targets outside the Middle East in the initial offensive" or a "non-Al Qaeda target like Iraq
." In the memo, U.S. attacks in Latin America
and Southeast Asia
were portrayed as a way to catch terrorists off guard when they were expecting an assault on Afghanistan
. Wurmser and Maloof arguably contributed to the war on terror
by sifting through top secret daily intelligence documents for a link between Al Qaeda and Iraqi government leadership. Maloof and Wurmser gave their findings to the Bush Administration, which used them to claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism. Neither claim has shown to be true, per the Senate Report on Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq.
On September 4, 2004, the Washington Post reported that FBI counterintelligence investigators had questioned Wurmser, along with Feith, Harold Rhode
, and Paul Wolfowitz
about the passing of classified information to Ahmad Chalabi and/or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
.
In September 2007, Newsweek and Reuters reported that "David Wurmser told a small group several months ago that Vice President Dick Cheney was considering asking Israel to strike the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz." Meyrav Wurmser, Wurmser's wife, "told Newsweek the claims were untrue."
, co-founded the Middle East Media Research Institute
(MEMRI). Wurmser lives in Rockville, Maryland http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/503-Bonnibelle-Pl-Rockville-MD-20850/37125146_zpid/. From 2004 to 2005 he wrote a public blog http://dual-loyalties.blogspot.com/.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
foreign policy specialist. He served as Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
Adviser to former US Vice President Dick Cheney, as special assistant to John R. Bolton
John R. Bolton
John Robert Bolton is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006 on a recess appointment...
at the State Department and as a research fellow on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
at the American Enterprise Institute
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research is a conservative think tank founded in 1943. Its stated mission is "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism—limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and...
(AEI). He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve as an intelligence officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.
Professional Background
Wurmser has a Ph.D.Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. In 2008, Wurmser was listed as a member of the board of advisors of the Endowment for Middle East Truth
Endowment for Middle East Truth
Endowment for Middle East Truth is a registered 5013 non-profit organization. According to the group's website, it is "...the first unabashedly pro-Israel and pro-American think tank and policy shop on Capitol Hill..." and describes itself as focusing on, "...Israel’s unique role as being the...
, a group which was involved in the distribution of over 20 million DVDs of the film Obsession
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West
Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West, also called Obsession, is a 2005 documentary film about the perceived threat of radical Islam to Western civilization. Using extensive Arab television footage it claims to give an 'insider's view' of the hatred preached by radicals to incite global...
in swing states prior to the 2008 US Presidential election. Wurmser is the founder of the Delphi Global Analysis Grouphttp://delphiglobalanalysis.com/delphi_staff.html, which aims to provide quality, in-depth consulting with a select group of clients to give them a competitive advantage on all affairs related to political risk.
Writings
Wurmser has been credited as being one of the main authors of the 1996 report A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm, a paper prepared for incoming IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. This advocated pre-emptive strikes against Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, the removal of Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
from Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the abandonment of traditional "land for peace" negotiations with Palestinians.
In 1999, Wurmser wrote "Tyranny's Ally: America's Failure to Defeat Saddam Hussein" (published by AEI Press), which argued that Clinton policies in Iraq were failing to contain the country.
In 2000, Wurmser helped draft a document entitled "Ending Syria’s Occupation of Lebanon: the US Role?", which called for a confrontation with the regime in Damascus. The document said that Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
was developing "weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
".
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith
Douglas Feith
Douglas J. Feith served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy for United States President George W. Bush from July 2001 until August 2005. His official responsibilities included the formulation of defense planning guidance and forces policy, United States Department of Defense relations...
appointed Wurmser and veteran defense analyst Michael Maloof as a two-man Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
intelligence unit. One of their products, days after the attacks, was a memo that suggested "hitting targets outside the Middle East in the initial offensive" or a "non-Al Qaeda target like Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
." In the memo, U.S. attacks in Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
were portrayed as a way to catch terrorists off guard when they were expecting an assault on Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Wurmser and Maloof arguably contributed to the war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
by sifting through top secret daily intelligence documents for a link between Al Qaeda and Iraqi government leadership. Maloof and Wurmser gave their findings to the Bush Administration, which used them to claim that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and ties to terrorism. Neither claim has shown to be true, per the Senate Report on Pre-war Intelligence on Iraq.
On September 4, 2004, the Washington Post reported that FBI counterintelligence investigators had questioned Wurmser, along with Feith, Harold Rhode
Harold Rhode
Harold Rhode is a specialist on the Middle East who worked at the Office of Net Assessment, an in-house think tank for the Pentagon. Rhode retired in 2010 after 28 years as a Pentagon analyst....
, and Paul Wolfowitz
Paul Wolfowitz
Paul Dundes Wolfowitz is a former United States Ambassador to Indonesia, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, President of the World Bank, and former dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University...
about the passing of classified information to Ahmad Chalabi and/or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the United States...
.
In September 2007, Newsweek and Reuters reported that "David Wurmser told a small group several months ago that Vice President Dick Cheney was considering asking Israel to strike the Iranian nuclear site at Natanz." Meyrav Wurmser, Wurmser's wife, "told Newsweek the claims were untrue."
Personal Life
Wurmser's wife, Dr. Meyrav WurmserMeyrav Wurmser
Meyrav Wurmser is an Israeli-born, American scholar of the Arab world. She is married to Swiss-American David Wurmser, former Middle East Adviser to US Vice President Dick Cheney. She is also a Senior Fellow at the US think tank, the Hudson Institute....
, co-founded the Middle East Media Research Institute
Middle East Media Research Institute
The Middle East Media Research Institute is a Middle Eastern not for profit press monitoring organization with headquarters located in Washington, DC. MEMRI was co-founded in 1998 by Yigal Carmon, a former colonel in the Israeli military intelligence and Meyrav Wurmser, an Israeli-born, American...
(MEMRI). Wurmser lives in Rockville, Maryland http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/503-Bonnibelle-Pl-Rockville-MD-20850/37125146_zpid/. From 2004 to 2005 he wrote a public blog http://dual-loyalties.blogspot.com/.