This is an excellent article outlining the PNAC, its political origins and rise, and many of the feelings of opposition to the PNAC model of foreign policy and defense strategy, including former President Jimmy Carter.
A think tank war: Why old Europe says no
By Margo Kingston
March 7 2003
An excerpt:
One person who is absolutely unequivocal about the problem of anti-Americanism is former President Jimmy Carter. He judges the PNAC agenda in the same way. At first, argues Carter, Bush responded to the challenge of September 11 in an effective and intelligent way, “but in the meantime a group of conservatives worked to get approval for their long held ambitions under the mantle of ‘the war on terror'”.
The restrictions on civil rights in the US and at Guantanamo, cancellation of international accords, “contempt for the rest of the world”, and finally an attack on Iraq “although there is no threat to the US from Baghdad” – all these things will have devastating consequences, according to Carter.
“This entire unilateralism”, warns the ex-President, “will increasingly isolate the US from those nations that we need in order to do battle with terrorism”.
