Alleged support for attacking Hamas
According to an article written by Mark Perry and Alastair Crooke at www.conflictforum.com and reprinted in Asia Times,[29] since at least January 2006, the United States has supplied guns, ammunition and training to Palestinian Fatah groups, allegedly to overthrow the democratically-elected Hamas government in the Palestinian territories. However, a U.S. government statement says that the supplies and training are for "assist[ing] the Palestinian Authority presidency in fulfilling PA commitments under the roadmap to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza".[29] Under the direction of Elliott Abrams, the U.S. supply of rifles and ammunition has increased, and a large number of Fatah men have been trained at two West Bank camps.[29] The Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reports that the U.S. has designated US$86.4 million for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security detail.[citation needed] However, McClatchy Newspapers reported in July 2007 that very few military supplies or arms were actually delivered to Fatah;[30] in fact, Fatah military strategists complained that the Bush administration didn't provide "substantive support".[30]
Elliott Abrams
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For the American meteorologist, see Elliot Abrams (meteorologist).
Elliott Abrams (born January 24, 1948) is an American lawyer who has served in foreign policy positions for two Republican U.S. Presidents, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
During Bush's first term in office, he was appointed the post of Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director on the National Security Council for Near East and North African Affairs. At the start of Bush's second term, Abrams was promoted to be his Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy, responsible for advancing Bush's strategy of advancing democracy abroad. Although Abrams is considered a leading neoconservative,[1][2] his appointment by Bush was controversial due to his conviction in 1991 on two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully withholding information from Congress during the Iran-Contra Affair investigation.
Contents [hide]
1 Early years
2 Central America
2.1 El Salvador
2.2 Nicaragua
2.3 Panama
3 Iran-Contra affair
4 Involvement with Project For the New American Century
5 Special Assistant to President Bush
5.1 2002 Venezuelan coup
6 Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy
6.1 Blocking Israeli-Palestinian Peace Negotiations
6.2 Alleged support for attacking Hamas
7 Affiliation history
7.1 Institutional affiliations
7.2 Editorial affiliations
7.3 Government service
7.4 Corporate connections/business interests
7.5 Education
8 Books
9 Notes
10 External links
[edit] Early years
Abrams was born into a Jewish family in New York and he understands Hebrew.[3] His father was an immigration lawyer. Elliott received his B.A. from Harvard College in 1969, a Master's degree in international relations from the London School of Economics in 1970, and his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1973. At Harvard, he was a roommate of Steven Kelman, founder of the Young People's Socialist League campus chapter. Together they penned an article on the 1969 Harvard strike for The New Leader, "The Contented Revolutionists."[4] He practiced in New York--in the summers for his father, and then briefly on Wall Street--but found that he preferred politics. He worked on Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson's brief campaign for the 1976 Democratic nomination, after which he served as special counsel and ultimately as chief of staff for the then-new Senator Daniel Moynihan.
Through Senator Moynihan, Abrams was introduced to Rachel Decter, the stepdaughter of Moynihan's friend, Norman Podhoretz, editor of Commentary Magazine and the "godfather" of neo-conservatism. They were married in 1980.
Abrams first came to national prominence when he served as Reagan's Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs in the early 1980s and later as Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs. His nomination to Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs was unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 17 November 1981.[5] Abrams was Reagan's second choice for the position; his first nominee, Ernest W. Lefever, had been rejected by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 5 June 1981.[6]
[edit] Central America
During this time, Abrams clashed regularly with church groups and human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch[7][8] and Amnesty International, over the Reagan administration's foreign policies. They accused him of covering up atrocities committed by the military forces of US-backed governments, such as those in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, and the rebel Contras in Nicaragua.
[edit] El Salvador
In early 1982, when reports of the El Mozote massacre of civilians by the military in El Salvador began appearing in U.S. media, Abrams told a Senate committee that the reports of hundreds of deaths at El Mozote "were not credible," and that "it appears to be an incident that is at least being significantly misused, at the very best, by the guerrillas."[9] The massacre had come at a time when the Reagan administration was attempting to bolster the human rights image of the Salvadoran military. Abrams implied that reports of a massacre were simply FMLN propaganda and denounced US investigative reports of the massacre as misleading. He later claimed Washington's policy in El Salvador a "fabulous achievement."[cite this quote] In 1993, members of the Salvadoran Truth Commission testified about the El Mozote massacre in a congressional hearing of the House Western Hemisphere subcommittee. Chairman Robert Torricelli, Democratic Senator from New Jersey, vowed to review for possible perjury "every word uttered by every Reagan administration official" in congressional testimony on El Salvador.[cite this quote] Abrams denounced Torricelli's words as "McCarthyite crap".[cite this quote] Documentation eventually emerged proving that the Reagan administration had known about El Mozote and other human rights violations all along.[10]
[edit] Nicaragua
When Congress shut down funding for the Contras' efforts to overthrow Nicaragua's Sandinista government with the 1982 Boland Amendment, the Reagan administration began looking for other avenues for funding the group.[citation needed] Congress opened a couple of such avenues when it modified the Boland Amendment for fiscal year 1986 by approving $27 million in direct aid to the Contras and allowing the administration to legally solicit funds for the Contras from foreign governments.[11] Neither the direct aid, nor any foreign contributions, could be used to purchase weapons.[12] Guided by the new provisions of the modified Boland Amendment, Abrams flew to London in August 1986 and met secretly with Bruneian defense minister General Ibnu to solicit a $10-million contribution from the Sultan of Brunei.[13][14] Ultimately, the Contras never received this money because a clerical error in Oliver North's office (a mistyped account number) sent the Bruneian money to the wrong Swiss bank account.[15]
[edit] Panama
On 30 June 1987, the United States State Department demanded the ouster of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. Abrams, then the Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, made the announcement. Abrams took note of a resolution passed on 23 June by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee demanding the creation of a "democratic government" in Panama, and officially concurred, thus making the toppling of Noriega the official U.S. policy.[cite this quote] Abrams also demanded that the Panamanian military be freed of "political corruption."[cite this quote]
[edit] Iran-Contra affair
During investigation of the Iran-Contra Affair, the special prosecutor handling the case prepared multiple felony counts against Abrams but never indicted him.[16] Instead, Abrams entered into a plea agreement that ultimately led to a conviction without imprisonment on two misdemeanors of withholding information from Congress.[17] He was fined $50, placed on probation for two years, and assigned 100 hours of community service. Abrams was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush as he was leaving office following his loss in the 1992 U.S. presidential election.
[edit] Involvement with Project For the New American Century
Abrams was one of the signatories of the 26 January 1998 Project For the New American Century letter sent to President Bill Clinton which called for regime-change in Iraq.[18]
[edit] Special Assistant to President Bush
President George W. Bush appointed Abrams to the post of Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Democracy, Human Rights, and International Operations at the National Security Council on 25 June 2001.[19] Abrams was appointed Special Assistant to the President and the NSC's Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs on 2 December 2002.[20] Some human rights groups and commentators considered his White House appointment controversial due to his conviction in the Iran-Contra Affair investigation and his role in overseeing the Reagan administration's foreign policy in Latin America.[21][22]
[edit] 2002 Venezuelan coup
The Observer has alleged that Abrams had advance knowledge of, and "gave a nod to", the Venezuelan coup attempt of 2002 against Hugo Chávez.[23] Other sources have alleged that Abrams and Otto Reich played an active role in planning the coup.[24] However, a review by the State Department's Inspector General made the following conclusion: "Our government’s opposition to the use of undemocratic or unconstitutional means to remove President Chávez was repeated over and over again during the relevant period by key policymakers and spokespersons in Washington and by our representatives in Caracas in both public and private forums. And, far from working to foment his overthrow, the United States alerted President Chávez to coup plots and warned him of an assassination threat that was deemed to be credible."[25]
[edit] Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy
On 2 February 2005, President George W. Bush appointed Abrams Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy.[26] In his new position, Abrams became responsible for overseeing the National Security Council's directorate of Democracy, Human Rights, and International Organization Affairs and its directorate of Near East and North African Affairs.[27]
Abrams accompanied Condoleezza Rice as a primary advisor on her visits to the Middle East in late July 2006 in the course of discussions relating to the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. [2]
[edit] Blocking Israeli-Palestinian Peace Negotiations
According to Jim Lobe in an article he wrote for Asia Times, Abrams has been working systematically to undermine any prospect for serious negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.[28] "The Bush administration has done nothing to press Israel to deliver on its commitments, beyond Washington's empty rhetoric about a two-state 'political horizon'," Henry Siegman, the long-time director of the U.S./Middle East Project at the influential Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in the International Herald Tribune in February 2007. "Every time there emerged the slightest hint that the United States may finally engage seriously in a political process, Elliott Abrams would meet secretly with Olmert's envoys in Europe or elsewhere to reassure them that there exists no such danger," he complained.[28] Kathleen Christison wrote in anarticle called The Siren Song of Elliott Abrams - Thoughts on the Attempted Murder of Palestine in CounterPunch about Abrams work to bring down Hamas.
[edit] Alleged support for attacking Hamas
According to an article written by Mark Perry and Alastair Crooke at www.conflictforum.com and reprinted in Asia Times,[29] since at least January 2006, the United States has supplied guns, ammunition and training to Palestinian Fatah groups, allegedly to overthrow the democratically-elected Hamas government in the Palestinian territories. However, a U.S. government statement says that the supplies and training are for "assist[ing] the Palestinian Authority presidency in fulfilling PA commitments under the roadmap to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza".[29] Under the direction of Elliott Abrams, the U.S. supply of rifles and ammunition has increased, and a large number of Fatah men have been trained at two West Bank camps.[29] The Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reports that the U.S. has designated US$86.4 million for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security detail.[citation needed] However, McClatchy Newspapers reported in July 2007 that very few military supplies or arms were actually delivered to Fatah;[30] in fact, Fatah military strategists complained that the Bush administration didn't provide "substantive support".[30]
[edit] Affiliation history
[edit] Institutional affiliations
American Committee for Peace in Chechnya: Member
American Jewish Committee: Former member, National Advisory Council
Center for Security Policy: Former member, National Security Advisory Council
Committee for the Free World: Member of 1985 conference on Reagan-Gorbachev summit meeting in Geneva
Committee for Peace and Security in the Gulf, Former Member (1998)
Committee on U.S. Interests in the Middle East, Former Member
Council on Foreign Relations: Member
Ethics and Public Policy Center: President, 1996–2002
Heritage Foundation: Alumnus of Heritage Foundation Resource Bank
Francisco Marroquin Foundation: Former chairman
Hudson Institute: Senior Fellow, 1990-96
Independent Task Force on Columbia, Former member
Middle East Forum: Signatory of 2000 report urging military action against Syria
Nicaraguan Resistance Foundation: Former chairman
Project for the New American Century: Signatory of 1997 Statement of Principles and various other statements
Social Democrats, USA: Former member
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, Former member
[edit] Editorial affiliations
National Review: Former contributing author
Policy Review: Former contributing author
Beliefnet: Columnist
[edit] Government service
National Security Council: Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy, 2005 to present
National Security Council: Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Near East and North African Affairs, 2002–05
National Security Council: Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Democracy, Human Rights, and International Operations, 2001–02
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom: Chairman, 2000-2001; Commissioner, 1999–2001
Inter-American Foundation: nominated as member of Board of Directors for the 1985–90 term
Department of State: Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, 1985-89
Department of State: Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, 1981–85
Department of State: Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, 1981
Sen. Daniel P. Moynihan: Chief of Staff, Special Counsel, 1977–79
Sen. Henry M. Jackson: Staffer/Special Counsel, 1975–76
Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations: Assistant Counsel, 1975
[edit] Corporate connections/business interests
Verner, Lipfert, Bernhard and McPherson: Associate, 1979–81
Breed, Abbott and Morgan: Attorney, 1973–75
[edit] Education
Harvard University: B.A., 1969
London School of Economics: M.Sc., 1970
Harvard Law School: J.D., 1973
[edit] Books
Democracy How Direct?: Views from the Founding Era and the Polling Era 2002 ISBN 0-7425-2318-7
The Influence of Faith 2001 ISBN 0-7425-0762-9
International Religious Freedom (2001): Annual Report: Submitted by the U.S. Department of State editor 2001 ISBN 0-7567-1338-2
Secularism, Spirituality, and the Future of American Jewry 1999 ISBN 0-89633-190-3, editor with David Dalin
Close Calls: Intervention, Terrorism, Missile Defense, and 'Just War' Today 1998 ISBN 0-89633-187-3
Honor Among Nations: Intangible Interests and Foreign Policy 1998 ISBN 0-89633-188-1
Faith or Fear: How Jews Can Survive in a Christian America 1997 ISBN 0-684-82511-2
Security and Sacrifice: Isolation, Intervention, and American Foreign Policy 1995 ISBN 1-55813-049-7
Shield and Sword 1995 ISBN 0-02-900165-X
Undue Process A Story of How Political Differences are Turned into Crimes 1993 ISBN 0-02-900167-6
[edit] Notes
^ Hirsh, Michael; Dan Ephron (2006-12-04). The Last Man Standing. Newsweek. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
^ Crowley, Michael (2005-02-17). Elliott Abrams: From Iran-Contra to Bush's Democracy Czar. Slate. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
^ A story in Haaretz Daily shows he can translate from Hebrew to English, see An overpowering reality.
^ Steven Kelman (2006). "This Boy's Politics". The New Leader 89 (1/2): 21-23.
^ Bite, Vita (1982-11-24). Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy // Issue Brief: Number IB81125. The Library of Congress Congressional Research System Major Issue System. Retrieved on 2007-03-22. p. 6.
^ Ibid. p. 5-6.
^ Dobbs, Michael (2003-05-27). Back in Political Forefront: Iran-Contra Figure Plays Key Role on Mideast. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2007-05-02. p. A01. According to the Washington Post article, he clashed with Aryeh Neier, Human Rights Watch's Executive Director at the time[1], on Nightline in 1984.
^ Neier, Aryeh (2006-11-02). The Attack on Human Rights Watch. The New York Review of Books. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
^ Danner, Mark. "The Truth of El Mozote", The New Yorker, 1993-12-03, pp. 4, 50-70. Retrieved on 2007-08-07. (English)
^ Klauss, Clifford. "How U.S. Actions Helped Hide Salvador Human Rights Abuses", The New York Times, 1993-03-21. Retrieved on 2007-11-22. (English)
^ Iran-Contra Hearings; Boland Amendments: What They Provided. New York Times (1987-07-10). Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
^ Ibid.
^ Abrams, Elliott (1993). Undue Process: A Story of How Political Differences Are Turned into Crimes. The Free Press, 89. ISBN ISBN 0-02-900167-6.
^ Walsh, Lawrence E. (1993-08-04). Chapter 25 United States. v. Elliott Abrams. Final Report of the Independent Counsel For Iran/Contra Matters Volume I: Investigations and Prosecutions. United States Court of Appeal For the District of Columbia. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
^ Ibid.
^ Ibid.
^ Walsh, Lawrence E. (1993-08-04). Summary of Prosecutions. Final Report of the Independent Counsel For Iran/Contra Matters Volume I: Investigations and Prosecutions. United States Court of Appeal For the District of Columbia. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
^ untitled letter. Project For the New American Century (1998-01-26). Retrieved on 2007-05-14.
^ Statement by the Press Secretary. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (2001-06-28). Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ Statement by the Press Secretary. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (2002-12-02). Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ Cooper, Linda; Jim Hodge (2001-08-10). Appointees Spark Controversy. National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
^ Editorial: Appointments Insult Human Rights Cause. National Catholic Reporter (2001-08-10). Retrieved on 2007-04-15.
^ Vulliamy, Ed (2002-04-21). Venezuela coup linked to Bush team. The Observer. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ Stinard, Philip (2004-07-24). Otto Reich: Mastermind of the April 2002 coup d'etat against President Hugo Chavez. VHeadline.com: Venezuela's Electronic News. Retrieved on 2006-01-13.
^ A Review of U.S. Policy Toward Venezuela November 2001 - April 2002. United States Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors Office of Inspector General (2002-07). Retrieved on 2007-03-15. p. 37.
^ Personnel Announcement. The White House, Office of the Press Secretary (2005-02-02). Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
^ Ibid.
^ a b Jim Lobe, "Rice faces formidable White House foe," Asia Times, February 23, 2007. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
^ a b c Mark Perry and Alastair Crooke, "No-goodniks and the Palestinian shootout," Asia Times, January 9, 2007. Originally appeared on www.conflictsforum.org, under the title "Elliot Abrams' uncivil war," Accessed June 30, 2007.
^ a b Strobel, Warren P.; Dion Nissenbaum (2007-07-04). How U.S. policy missteps led to a nasty downfall in Gaza. McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
[edit] External links
Profile of Elliott Abrams, Center for Cooperative Research.
Profile of Elliott Abrams, Notable Names DataBase.
National Security Council website
List of columns and articles on Beliefnet
Jim Lobe "Elliott Abrams Is Back" (December 6, 2002, Foreign Policy in Focus
"Public Serpent: Iran-contra villain Elliott Abrams is back in action" (from In These Times)
Transcript of interview with Abrams and journalist Allan Nairn on the Charlie Rose Show March 31, 1998. Accessed July 10, 2007
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliott_Abrams"
Categories: Articles with unsourced quotes | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | Articles with unsourced statements since July 2007 | United States presidential advisors | United States Assistant Secretaries of State | Reagan Administration personnel | Recipients of American presidential pardons | Iran-Contra Affair | George W. Bush Administration personnel | George W. Bush administration controversies | American anti-communists | Jewish American politicians | Zionists | New York lawyers | Washington, D.C. lawyers | Harvard University alumni | Harvard Law School alumni | Alumni of the London School of Economics | 1948 births | Living people
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