The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was a neoconservative think tank that operated from 1997 to 2006.
It is best known for the immense influence its members had on the George W. Bush administration and for providing the intellectual framework for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
1. The Goal: "Pax Americana"
PNAC was founded by William Kristol and Robert Kagan with a clear mission: to promote "American global leadership."
- Hegemony: They argued that the U.S. emerged from the Cold War as the world's sole superpower and should aggressively use its military and economic might to shape the world, preventing the rise of any rival power (like China or Russia).
- "Reaganite" Policy: They advocated for a foreign policy of "military strength and moral clarity," viewing diplomacy as secondary to the projection of force.
2. The Members (A "Who's Who" of the Bush Era)
PNAC is frequently discussed because an unusually high number of its signatories and founders went on to hold top positions in the George W. Bush White House, allowing them to turn their theories into actual government policy. Key figures included:
- Dick Cheney: Vice President
- **Donald Rumsfeld: Secretary of Defense
- Paul Wolfowitz: Deputy Secretary of Defense (considered the intellectual architect of the Iraq War)
- John Bolton: Under Secretary of State (and later National Security Advisor)
- **Elliott Abrams: National Security Council
- **Jeb Bush: Governor of Florida (signer of the Statement of Principles)
3. The "New Pearl Harbor" Controversy
In September 2000 (one year before 9/11), PNAC released a report titled Rebuilding America's Defenses. This document outlined a strategy for military transformation.
It is infamous for a specific passage stating that the process of transforming the U.S. military would likely be a long one, "absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event—like a new Pearl Harbor."
- Significance: Critics and historians often cite this quote to show that key figures in the Bush administration were looking for a pretext to dramatically expand U.S. military reach long before the September 11 attacks occurred.
- After 9/11: When the attacks happened, the PNAC alumni in the White House quickly implemented the agenda outlined in this report, including the invasion of Iraq.
4. Obsession with Iraq
PNAC targeted Iraq years before the 2003 invasion.
- 1998 Letter: In 1998, PNAC sent an open letter to President Bill Clinton urging him to largely ignore the UN and use military force to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
- The Pivot: Immediately after 9/11, PNAC members inside the government pushed to shift the focus from Al-Qaeda (in Afghanistan) to Saddam Hussein (in Iraq), despite the lack of evidence connecting Iraq to the attacks.
5. Dissolution
The organization closed down in 2006. By that time, the Iraq War had destabilized the Middle East and "neoconservatism" had become politically unpopular. However, in 2009, several founders launched a successor organization called the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), which advocated for similar interventionist policies until it closed in 2017.
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