Eric Moonman
Encyclopedia
Eric Moonman was a British Labour
politician. He was Member of Parliament
(MP) for Billericay
1966-70 and Basildon
1974-9.
Moonman was educated at Liverpool and Manchester Universities and became a senior research fellow in the Department of Management Science at Manchester University. He was a councillor on Stepney Borough Council
, serving as Council Leader until 1965, and on the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
from 1964.
Moonman contested Chigwell
in 1964 without success and was elected for Billericay in the 1966 general election
, losing the seat four years later. He then was elected for Basildon
at the February 1974 election
, but again lost his seat at the 1979 general election
. In the 1980s, he joined the short-lived Social Democratic Party (SDP)
.
Since then, he has pursued an academic career, and is currently Professor of Management at City University, London
and Senior Fellow, University of Liverpool
.
Moonman is president of Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
.
. After the war, Moonman undertook his national service in the King's Liverpool Regiment from 1951 to 1953, during which he took courses in military studies as well as evening classes in subjects such as public speaking. In 1954 got a place at the University of Liverpool to study for a Diploma in Social Science. At Liverpool he edited the University magazine and became chairman of the Labour Society. Moonman was awarded his diploma in 1955.
made a speech to the UN General Assembly on the Israel-Arab Conflict. Moonman was one of a number of Labour MPs to accuse Brown of "taking sides" against Israel. At a Jewish ex-servicemen's rally in Southend, Moonman called Brown's speech a "serious embarrassment" and said he had "aggressively departed" from the Government's neutral policy, giving "harsh and arrogant advice" to the Israelis.
In 1972 Moonman was at the World Jewish Congress
in Switzerland. He approached Stephen Roth, then director of the European Jewish Congress
, and told him that changes had to be made in the way that Israel represented itself abroad. Roth accordingly gave him permission to start up a commission on Israel. In 1974, Moonman convened the first gathering of Jewish professionals to work out propaganda strategies.
The group subsequently met twice every year, once in Europe in the summer and once in Jerusalem in the autumn. Moonman was the “the founder and guiding light” of the organisation which became the West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel. The group was initially funded by the World Jewish Congress
which later withdrew its funding. From 1980 it was funded instead by the World Zionist Organization
and from 1985 also by the Israel Foreign Ministry. The Register of Members' Interests 1975/6 records that Moonman visited a conference in Brussels in February 1976, which was probably the winter meeting of the West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel. The register records that Moonman was there as a representative of the Parliamentary Committee for the release of Soviet Jewry.
By 1975 Moonman was chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain
. In August that year he met with the Home Secretary Roy Jenkins
to protest against the planned visit to London by two members of the Palestinian National Council
(the political wing of the PLO). Moonman criticised the visit as “an attempt to become respectable.” He added that: “we demean ourselves as human beings if at a convenient point of time we overlook the track record of these people.”
In June 1977 the Sunday Times published a front-page story and a four-page ‘Insight’ investigation reporting the alleged torture of Palestinian prisoners in the occupied territories. The Israeli Embassy in London called the assertions a “vicious slander as it is insulting to the only democracy and free judiciary in the area”. Moonman made three complaints about the reports to the Press Council, complaining that unproved accusations were reported as facts, that the paper misled readers with unsubstantiated quotes and headlines, and that Israel was denied the opportunity to comment before publication. His complaints were rejected.
In 1981 a broadcast by the Israeli Radio Peace and Progress (summarised by the BBC) referred to Moonman as one of several “leaders of the Zionist organizations in Britain”; although it is not clear if this referred to the West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel or another organisation. The broadcast reported that Moonman had “explained his [opposition to Menachem Begin
] in an article in the Jewish Chronicle, wherein Moonman argued that: “We must support Israel, but we must give consideration to the image of the Israel which we support. It is clear that Israel's Western allies are less and less interested in supporting Begin's Israel.”
In 1985 Moonman forced the editor of the Jewish Quarterly to resign. According to his successor Colin Shindler: “The offence had been caused by a Jewish Quarterly editorial which questioned the actual dangers of anti-Semitism today as popularly viewed by Jewish leadership.”
A 1986 report in The Guardian refers to Moonman as "chairman of the research committee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
", and Moonman’s profile in Debrett's People of Today states that that year he was appointed senior vice-president. At this stage Moonman was also a board member of the British-Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC) where he worked on a publication called EEC Monitor. In 1987 however he was forced to resign from BIPAC after a financial scandal which he considered the result of a campaign against him. Below is an extract from The Guardian explaining the circumstances of Moonman’s departure from BIPAC:
By 2001 Moonman had joined the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
. In mid January 2002 the New Statesman reported that he headed the Zionist Federation’s Media Response Unit; organising email and letter writing campaigns against journalists perceived to be anti-Semitic or critical of Israel. A week after the publishing of that article, Moonman had reportedly become President of the organisation.
and anxious about the possibility of societal breakdown.
In May 1981 the Centre published a report called "The Nazis are in the Playground". According to BBC Nationwide it "claims extreme right-wing groups are recruiting school children & authorities are unable to control the situation". The BBC interviewed Moonman on this on Nationwide. BBC archive records state that he "discusses young racism increasing 50% in 2 yrs; subtle strategies used; importance of process for future of N.F; accuses N.U.T of indifference, and gives Centre's proposals". Later in 1981 a further report on the role of neo-fascist groups in music led to an interview with Joan Bakewell on Newsnight. According to BBC archives Moonman "welcomes declaration by group 'Madness' that they have nothing to do with National Front
& British Movement
; extreme right see concerts as a potential market for their magazines".
In writings he focused in particular on the influence of media and television. He published a report in October 1981 on the riots that summer called "Copycat Hooligans", which argued that: “Youths imitated television film of violence in Northern Ireland when they rioted in more than 20 British cities last summer... Eric Moonman, the centre's director and author of the report entitled Copy Cat Hooligans, said the rioters knew what to do because they had seen it on television.
In 1987 Moonman published a book called The Violent Society which included contributions from prominent terrorologists Paul Wilkinson and Richard Clutterbuck
. Paul Wilkinson was identified in the contributors notes as a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Contemporary Studies. Insight, the Alumni magazine for Liverpool University, wrote that The Violent Society ‘was well received and, surprisingly for Eric, marked another chapter in his life’. The article states that after the publication of The Violent Society Moonman ‘began to take on consultancy work for ITN as an expert in counter-terrorism’.
In fact Moonman’s media presence as a terrorism expert does not seem to have taken off for another 15 years. The television archive contains only one item in the 1990s listing Moonman as a terrorism expert and the note does not contain an exact date. With the exception of that item, Moonman's first appearance seems to have been on a Channel Five Lunchtime Bulletin on 18 July 2002, after which he appeared dozens of times on UK television.
In 1998 Moonman was appointed as a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Counter Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
. He appeared at an 'Executive Luncheon' hosted by the group on 26 November 2001. The Panel was Chaired by Yonah Alexander
, the Director of the International Center for Terrorism Studies and a fellow Zionist and seminal terrorism expert; and Michael Swetnam, CEO and Chairman of the Potomac Institute
. Moonman said he thought the media had been, "highly responsible and supportive of U.S. and international efforts to root out terrorism". Of the critics of the War on Terror, Moonman said: "Many are Muslim, though most Muslims are friendly, good citizens who favor peace. Still, Taliban supporters are currently protesting and causing unrest in both England and the whole of Europe. Many of these dissidents are merely taking advantage of the situation, rather than genuinely pursuing the ideals of peace. Legitimate peace movement leaders, in fact, have actually spoken out against these protesters." He warned of "Usama bin Laden’s slick operation shows the extent to which public opinion can be bought with marketing and public relations expenditures," and argued that, "we must fight terrorists on their own terms. We can’t afford to abide by the Queensbury rules of war in the face of such a dangerous and unscrupulous threat."
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician. He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Billericay
Billericay (UK Parliament constituency)
Billericay was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.It returned Conservative MPs at every election except 1966....
1966-70 and Basildon
Basildon (UK Parliament constituency)
Basildon was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
1974-9.
Moonman was educated at Liverpool and Manchester Universities and became a senior research fellow in the Department of Management Science at Manchester University. He was a councillor on Stepney Borough Council
Metropolitan Borough of Stepney
The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Boundaries:...
, serving as Council Leader until 1965, and on the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks...
from 1964.
Moonman contested Chigwell
Chigwell (UK Parliament constituency)
Chigwell was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1974. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
in 1964 without success and was elected for Billericay in the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, losing the seat four years later. He then was elected for Basildon
Basildon (UK Parliament constituency)
Basildon was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
at the February 1974 election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, but again lost his seat at the 1979 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1979
The United Kingdom general election of 1979 was held on 3 May 1979 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. The Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher ousted the incumbent Labour government of James Callaghan with a parliamentary majority of 43 seats...
. In the 1980s, he joined the short-lived Social Democratic Party (SDP)
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
.
Since then, he has pursued an academic career, and is currently Professor of Management at City University, London
City University, London
City University London , is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1894 as the Northampton Institute and became a university in 1966, when it adopted its present name....
and Senior Fellow, University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
.
Moonman is president of Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, also known as the British Zionist Federation or simply the Zionist Federation , was established in 1899 to campaign for a permanent homeland for the Jewish people...
.
Early life
Eric Moonman was born in Liverpool on 29 April 1929 to Borach and Leah Moonman. He went to Rathbone School in Liverpool which he left at the age of 13 to start a seven-year apprenticeship at WJ Pugh Printers and then the Liverpool EchoLiverpool Echo
The Liverpool Echo is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Saturday, and is Liverpool's evening newspaper while its sister paper, the Liverpool Daily Post, is the morning paper...
. After the war, Moonman undertook his national service in the King's Liverpool Regiment from 1951 to 1953, during which he took courses in military studies as well as evening classes in subjects such as public speaking. In 1954 got a place at the University of Liverpool to study for a Diploma in Social Science. At Liverpool he edited the University magazine and became chairman of the Labour Society. Moonman was awarded his diploma in 1955.
After Parliament
After leaving Parliament Moonman remained politically active. Not content with the right-wing of the Labour Party, he defected to join the short-lived SDP. Over the next two decades he became one of the most prominent figures in British Zionism. He also published a number of reports on social violence through his think-tank the Centre for Contemporary Studies - an experience which eventually led to his emergence as a 'terrorism expert' after September 11.Work on Israel
In June 1967 the Foreign Secretary George BrownGeorge Brown, Baron George-Brown
George Alfred Brown, Baron George-Brown, PC was a British Labour politician, who served as the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1960 to 1970, and served in a number of positions in the Cabinet, most notably as Foreign Secretary, in the Labour Government of the 1960s...
made a speech to the UN General Assembly on the Israel-Arab Conflict. Moonman was one of a number of Labour MPs to accuse Brown of "taking sides" against Israel. At a Jewish ex-servicemen's rally in Southend, Moonman called Brown's speech a "serious embarrassment" and said he had "aggressively departed" from the Government's neutral policy, giving "harsh and arrogant advice" to the Israelis.
In 1972 Moonman was at the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
in Switzerland. He approached Stephen Roth, then director of the European Jewish Congress
European Jewish Congress
The European Jewish Congress, , was founded in 1986. It is based in Paris, with offices in Brussels, Strasbourg, Berlin and Budapest...
, and told him that changes had to be made in the way that Israel represented itself abroad. Roth accordingly gave him permission to start up a commission on Israel. In 1974, Moonman convened the first gathering of Jewish professionals to work out propaganda strategies.
The group subsequently met twice every year, once in Europe in the summer and once in Jerusalem in the autumn. Moonman was the “the founder and guiding light” of the organisation which became the West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel. The group was initially funded by the World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
which later withdrew its funding. From 1980 it was funded instead by the World Zionist Organization
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
and from 1985 also by the Israel Foreign Ministry. The Register of Members' Interests 1975/6 records that Moonman visited a conference in Brussels in February 1976, which was probably the winter meeting of the West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel. The register records that Moonman was there as a representative of the Parliamentary Committee for the release of Soviet Jewry.
By 1975 Moonman was chairman of the Zionist Federation of Great Britain
Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, also known as the British Zionist Federation or simply the Zionist Federation , was established in 1899 to campaign for a permanent homeland for the Jewish people...
. In August that year he met with the Home Secretary Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
to protest against the planned visit to London by two members of the Palestinian National Council
Palestinian National Council
The Palestinian National Council is the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization and elects its Executive Committee, which assumes leadership of the organization between its sessions. The Council normally meets every two years. Resolutions are passed by a simple majority with a...
(the political wing of the PLO). Moonman criticised the visit as “an attempt to become respectable.” He added that: “we demean ourselves as human beings if at a convenient point of time we overlook the track record of these people.”
In June 1977 the Sunday Times published a front-page story and a four-page ‘Insight’ investigation reporting the alleged torture of Palestinian prisoners in the occupied territories. The Israeli Embassy in London called the assertions a “vicious slander as it is insulting to the only democracy and free judiciary in the area”. Moonman made three complaints about the reports to the Press Council, complaining that unproved accusations were reported as facts, that the paper misled readers with unsubstantiated quotes and headlines, and that Israel was denied the opportunity to comment before publication. His complaints were rejected.
In 1981 a broadcast by the Israeli Radio Peace and Progress (summarised by the BBC) referred to Moonman as one of several “leaders of the Zionist organizations in Britain”; although it is not clear if this referred to the West European Public Relations Group for Information on Behalf of Israel or another organisation. The broadcast reported that Moonman had “explained his [opposition to Menachem Begin
Menachem Begin
' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...
] in an article in the Jewish Chronicle, wherein Moonman argued that: “We must support Israel, but we must give consideration to the image of the Israel which we support. It is clear that Israel's Western allies are less and less interested in supporting Begin's Israel.”
In 1985 Moonman forced the editor of the Jewish Quarterly to resign. According to his successor Colin Shindler: “The offence had been caused by a Jewish Quarterly editorial which questioned the actual dangers of anti-Semitism today as popularly viewed by Jewish leadership.”
A 1986 report in The Guardian refers to Moonman as "chairman of the research committee of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
Board of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Founded in 1760 as a joint committee of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in London, it has since become a widely recognised forum for the views of the different sectors of the UK Jewish...
", and Moonman’s profile in Debrett's People of Today states that that year he was appointed senior vice-president. At this stage Moonman was also a board member of the British-Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC) where he worked on a publication called EEC Monitor. In 1987 however he was forced to resign from BIPAC after a financial scandal which he considered the result of a campaign against him. Below is an extract from The Guardian explaining the circumstances of Moonman’s departure from BIPAC:
An unusual advert has just appeared in the Jewish Chronicle, asking anyone who knows about a campaign of malice against the former Labour MP Eric Moonman to send the information to a box number. It has been placed, of course, by Moonman himself, who is senior vice-president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and chairman of the Islington Area Health Authority in London. Until recently he was also a board member of the British-Israel Public Affairs Committee (BIPAC), but he resigned at the last meeting following what might be called the Alexander Keddie Affair. Keddie doesn't actually exist, although he was once described as a recluse in Essex who didn't like taking phone calls; the name was simply used over a period of about four years to steer payments to a variety of people, including Moonman, who worked on a BIPAC publication called EEC Monitor. An accountant's report into the affair was prompted by Monty Summary, a prominent Jewish businessman and fundraiser, and it concluded that Moonman had left people confused about the Keddie arrangement. Moonman denies this, and is now intent on unmasking his putative tormentors. 'I do think there is a campaign against me,' he said this week. 'There have been anonymous letters and phone calls as well.'”
By 2001 Moonman had joined the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland
The Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland, also known as the British Zionist Federation or simply the Zionist Federation , was established in 1899 to campaign for a permanent homeland for the Jewish people...
. In mid January 2002 the New Statesman reported that he headed the Zionist Federation’s Media Response Unit; organising email and letter writing campaigns against journalists perceived to be anti-Semitic or critical of Israel. A week after the publishing of that article, Moonman had reportedly become President of the organisation.
Terrorism expert
Moonman’s emergence as a terrorism expert seems to have stemmed from his involvement in an organisation called the Centre for Contemporary Studies, a think-tank which published material on football hooliganism and race relations, as well as terrorism. The Centre appears to have been founded by Moonman who seems to have been affected by the Brixton riotsBrixton Riots
Brixton riots may refer to:* 1981 Brixton riot – 11 April 1981* 1985 Brixton riot – 28 September 1985* 1995 Brixton riot – 13 December 1995* 2011 Brixton riot – 7 August 2011; see 2011 London riots...
and anxious about the possibility of societal breakdown.
In May 1981 the Centre published a report called "The Nazis are in the Playground". According to BBC Nationwide it "claims extreme right-wing groups are recruiting school children & authorities are unable to control the situation". The BBC interviewed Moonman on this on Nationwide. BBC archive records state that he "discusses young racism increasing 50% in 2 yrs; subtle strategies used; importance of process for future of N.F; accuses N.U.T of indifference, and gives Centre's proposals". Later in 1981 a further report on the role of neo-fascist groups in music led to an interview with Joan Bakewell on Newsnight. According to BBC archives Moonman "welcomes declaration by group 'Madness' that they have nothing to do with National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
& British Movement
British Movement
The British Movement , later called the British National Socialist Movement , is a British neo-Nazi organisation founded by Colin Jordan in 1968. It grew out of the National Socialist Movement , which was founded in 1962...
; extreme right see concerts as a potential market for their magazines".
In writings he focused in particular on the influence of media and television. He published a report in October 1981 on the riots that summer called "Copycat Hooligans", which argued that: “Youths imitated television film of violence in Northern Ireland when they rioted in more than 20 British cities last summer... Eric Moonman, the centre's director and author of the report entitled Copy Cat Hooligans, said the rioters knew what to do because they had seen it on television.
In 1987 Moonman published a book called The Violent Society which included contributions from prominent terrorologists Paul Wilkinson and Richard Clutterbuck
Richard Clutterbuck
Richard Clutterbuck was a pioneer in the study of political violence. In his lifetime he was both a professional soldier and academic. Clutterbuck was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1937 after graduating in mechanical sciences from Cambridge...
. Paul Wilkinson was identified in the contributors notes as a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Contemporary Studies. Insight, the Alumni magazine for Liverpool University, wrote that The Violent Society ‘was well received and, surprisingly for Eric, marked another chapter in his life’. The article states that after the publication of The Violent Society Moonman ‘began to take on consultancy work for ITN as an expert in counter-terrorism’.
In fact Moonman’s media presence as a terrorism expert does not seem to have taken off for another 15 years. The television archive contains only one item in the 1990s listing Moonman as a terrorism expert and the note does not contain an exact date. With the exception of that item, Moonman's first appearance seems to have been on a Channel Five Lunchtime Bulletin on 18 July 2002, after which he appeared dozens of times on UK television.
In 1998 Moonman was appointed as a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Counter Terrorism Studies at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501, not-for-profit public policy research institute located in Arlington, Virginia. The Institute was founded in 1994, shortly after the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment was disbanded, with the intent to assume some of the...
. He appeared at an 'Executive Luncheon' hosted by the group on 26 November 2001. The Panel was Chaired by Yonah Alexander
Yonah Alexander
Yonah Alexander is an author and lecturer who specializes in Terrorism.He received his PhD from Columbia University, an MA from the University of Chicago , and his BA from Roosevelt University of Chicago....
, the Director of the International Center for Terrorism Studies and a fellow Zionist and seminal terrorism expert; and Michael Swetnam, CEO and Chairman of the Potomac Institute
Potomac Institute for Policy Studies
The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is an independent, 501, not-for-profit public policy research institute located in Arlington, Virginia. The Institute was founded in 1994, shortly after the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment was disbanded, with the intent to assume some of the...
. Moonman said he thought the media had been, "highly responsible and supportive of U.S. and international efforts to root out terrorism". Of the critics of the War on Terror, Moonman said: "Many are Muslim, though most Muslims are friendly, good citizens who favor peace. Still, Taliban supporters are currently protesting and causing unrest in both England and the whole of Europe. Many of these dissidents are merely taking advantage of the situation, rather than genuinely pursuing the ideals of peace. Legitimate peace movement leaders, in fact, have actually spoken out against these protesters." He warned of "Usama bin Laden’s slick operation shows the extent to which public opinion can be bought with marketing and public relations expenditures," and argued that, "we must fight terrorists on their own terms. We can’t afford to abide by the Queensbury rules of war in the face of such a dangerous and unscrupulous threat."