http://public-accountability.org/2013/10/conflicts-of-interest-in-the-syria-debate/
Stephen Hadley
Identified as: Former national security adviser to George W. Bush
Undisclosed industry ties: Hadley has served on the board of defense contractor Raytheon
since 2009. Raytheon manufactures the Tomahawk cruise missiles that
were potentially to be used in airstrikes against Syria. He also sits on
the Special Activities committee of Raytheon’s board, the stated
purpose of which is "provide oversight of the Company’s business
activities which involve matters that have been classified for purposes
of national security by an agency or instrumentality of the government
customer (‘Classified Business’).” Members of the committee must obtain
"applicable security clearances.”2
Hadley also chairs the company’s Public Affairs Committee, which
reviews "political, social and legal trends and issues that may have an
impact on the business operations, financial performance or public image
of the Company.”3
Hadley owns 11,477 shares of Raytheon stock, worth close to $900,000,
and earned $128,500 in cash compensation from the company last year.4
Hadley is a principal at RiceHadleyGates LLC,
an international strategic consulting firm. The firm advises companies
on their international strategies, including foreign policy and national
security matters. One example of its work highlighted on its website:
"Providing information and analysis to help a client manage the changes
to its business brought about by the Arab Awakening.”5 He is also an advisor, focused on Policy Research & Analysis, to the consulting firm APCO Worldwide and director and member of the Executive Committee of the Atlantic Council (see below).6
Media commentary: Hadley has been a vocal and highly visible supporter of war with Syria. He published an opinion piece for the Washington Post
headlined "To stop Iran, Obama must enforce red lines with Syria.” He
has also done interviews with Bloomberg TV, MSNBC, and CNN, conveying a
similar message.7 House Majority Leader Eric Cantor invited Hadley to brief staffers on Syria, according to the National Journal.8 National Security Advisor Susan Rice tweeted Hadley’s remarks in support of the strike, according to the Wall Street Journal.9 From Bloomberg Television’s Political Capital with Al Hunt (9/6/2013):
HUNT: How would it be read in Tehran if we don’t strike?
HADLEY: I think that’s one of the biggest problems. And that’s why,
if I were – and when I talk to Republicans, I say if you are concerned
about Iran and the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, you better be voting
in favor of this resolution, because having – the president having set
down a red line for chemical weapons use in Syria, if he does not
enforce it, the – the red line, if you will, that we’ve put down with
Iran on its nuclear program doesn’t look credible. We’ve said that Iran
needs to give up its nuclear program, and if it does not do so, all
options are on the table, including the military option. If we don’t
enforce the red line in Syria, that threat looks empty. And if that
threat looks empty, I think there’s very little chance that we can get
Iran to be willing to negotiate away its nuclear weapons program.10
Disclosure: CNN’s John Berman noted that Hadley is "with the
consulting firm RiceHadleyGates”, but failed to disclose his position
with Raytheon. None of Hadley’s ties to the defense industry were noted
in his other three appearances.
James Cartwright
Identified as: Retired General and former Vice Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Undisclosed industry ties: Cartwright has served on the board of Raytheon
since January 2012. He served on the Public Affairs Committee and the
Special Activities committees (described above, under Stephen Hadley)
until recently. Cartwright owns 5,374 shares of stock and earned
$124,000 in cash compensation from Raytheon last year.11
Cartwright has a number of other defense industry affiliations, as
well. He is currently an advisor to defense and intelligence contractor TASC, consulting firm Accenture, and Enlightenment Capital, a private equity firm with defense investments. He is also a director of the Atlantic Council (see below).12
Cartwright is currently the target of a federal investigation into leaks regarding the Stuxnet virus.13
Media commentary: Cartwright appeared on ABC’s This Week
Syria experts panel on September 1, 2013, the same day John Kerry made
appearances on all of the Sunday shows. Cartwright echoed concerns that a
limited strike would not be an effective deterrent, but agreed with
host George Stephanopoulos that the United States needed to strike Syria
to maintain credibility and send a message to Iran:
STEPHANOPOULOS: And General Cartwright, so much of this
idea of hitting back at Assad, in part because of those horrific
pictures, but also the word credibility comes back into play. All of the
military, all the entire region, also looking at Iran and wondering the
kind of message it sends to Iran if we do not, if we do not strike in
the wake of an attack like this.
CARTWRIGHT: I think it’s critical here and that’s probably one of the audiences we have to pay close attention to.14
Frances Townsend
Identified as: CNN national security analyst; member of the CIA and DHS advisory committees
Undisclosed industry ties: Townsend, former assistant for homeland security to George W. Bush, is a senior vice president at MacAndrews & Forbes, an investment firm. MacAndrews & Forbes owns AM General, which manufactures military vehicles. Townsend also serves as an operating advisor to Monument Capital Group, an investment firm with a global security and defense sector investment focus, and on the advisory board of Decision Sciences, a cargo screening company with defense contracts.
Townsend was the chair of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, a private intelligence contractor association, until 2012.15
Media commentary: As CNN’s national security analyst, Townsend has made multiple appearances on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 to discuss Syria.16
Townsend has stated that she sees action as "inevitable,” but has also
questioned the effectiveness of a limited air strike on most
appearances, instead promoting a "full comprehensive strategy” without
limits set by Congress. She has expressed on multiple occasions her
concern that a limited strike will threaten US national security. From
CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (8/28/2013):
TOWNSEND: When we have used these standoff assaults
before, like after the East Africa bombing, it has a short-term effect,
but not a long-term strategic effect. And that’s what you really want to
do. You don’t want to just deter the Syrians. You want to deter
Hezbollah, al Qaeda, Iran from using these kind of weapons as well.17
From CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 (9/3/2013):
TOWNSEND: That’s right, so you worry about the release of
what chemical weapons they have, the use of Hezbollah, you know,
asymmetric attacks not only inside Syria but are in the region and
around the world against Western targets.18
She has also commented on the quality of the intelligence on Syria,
calling it a "pretty compelling narrative” and questioned the
trustworthiness of Russia’s plan to deal with Syria’s chemical weapons.19
General Anthony Zinni
Identified as: Retired U.S. Marine Corps General and Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Central Command
Undisclosed industry ties: Zinni is an outside director at BAE Systems, which was the third largest military services company in the world in 201120 and received $6.1 billion in federal contracts in 2012.21 He was previously chairman of the board and acting CEO between 2009 and 2012. He is a member of the Advisory Board of DC Capital Partners,
a private equity firm investing in defense contractors. According to
its website, "DC Capital’s investment strategy emphasizes certain
sectors that it believes offer the most compelling growth opportunities
for investment, including but not limited to: Intelligence, Homeland
Security, Information Technology, and Operations and Maintenance.”22
Zinni is also a Distinguished Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (see below).23
Media commentary: Zinni has made multiple appearances on CNN and was quoted in the Washington Post. He has expressed support for the strike, but questioned the likelihood of it being a "one-and-done.”24 He has also appeared on CBS’s This Morning with a similar message:
ZINNI: Well, we have to do something because the
President laid a red line down. This is an unacceptable act. And– and so
I think we’re committed, or look, we can– he’ll continue to test us. I
think we need to think in terms of a longer campaign, not that this shot
might be just one act and then finished25
In his most recent appearance, on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley, Zinni expressed concern that Iran might see U.S. indecision on Syria as a "potential opportunity to exploit:”
CROWLEY: Is that the signal, you think, that Iran has gotten from the U.S. over the past couple of weeks?
ZINNI: I think it’s probably been confusing for them. They probably
see an opportunity here. I think prior to this they would have been
convinced that we intended to act if they crossed the red line there.
Knowing the Iranians, they see everything as a potential opportunity to
exploit. And I’m sure they are calculating much how they could take
advantage of this and maybe push the edge of the envelope.26
Jeremy Bash
Identified as: Former Chief of Staff to the Defense Department and CIA under Leon Panetta
Industry ties: Bash is co-founder and managing director of Beacon Global Strategies.
According to its website, Beacon is a "strategic advisory firm
specializing in matters of International Policy, Foreign Affairs,
National Defense, Cyber, Intelligence, and Homeland Security,” though
its clients are not disclosed.27 Defense News
notes the firm is "built on providing advice to companies, primarily
defense contractors, focused on international defense business as well
as cyber, although their first client was Bash’s former boss, Panetta.”28
Media commentary: Bash has made multiple appearances on CNN
and MSNBC to discuss Syria. He has expressed strong confidence in U.S.
intelligence on Syria. He has expressed support for the strike,
including his "hope” that Congress will vote to approve it, and
commented on its effectiveness in the interest of national security as a
deterrent to other governments, citing Iran in particular.29 From MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews (8/30/2013):
MATTHEWS: Jeremy Bash, your thoughts on that. Let`s see —
keep the focus here on deterrence. We have a military capability. Can
we, should we use it in this way to signal our potential future enemies,
Don’t go nuclear because we’re not going to let this bum go chemical?
BASH: Well, Chris, it`s good to be with you. I’ve probably sat
through several hundred intelligence briefings over the last eight years
on Capitol Hill, at the CIA, and at the Defense Department. Not one has
been as nearly definitive as this one and not one has been nearly as
horrifying as this. This really ranks up there as one of the most
convincing and compelling intelligence cases for using military action
in this way. And in terms of your question about deterrence and talking
about Iran, let me point out two things. In 2003, Iran suspended its
nuclear program. We know that definitively. Why did they do that? In
part because that was the same year we invaded Iraq. We were in both
countries around Iran, and they feared our military. Now, that wasn’t
the objective of the Iraq war, but it was one of the intended — that was
one of the consequences.30
Disclosure: CNN’s Jake Tapper noted that Bash founded Beacon
Global Strategies and called it "a consulting firm.” CNN and MSNBC
failed to disclose the connection in Bash’s five other appearances.
Nicholas Burns
Identified as: Former Under Secretary of State; professor at Kennedy School of Government, former U.S. ambassador to NATO
Undisclosed industry ties: Burns is a Senior Counselor to the Cohen Group,
a global consulting firm with Aerospace & Defense and Homeland
Security among its practice groups. The Cohen Group has previously been
registered as a lobbyist to the U.S. government on behalf of defense
contractors Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, United Technologies and
others. James Loy, senior counselor to the Cohen Group, and Joseph
Ralston, Cohen Group vice chairman, are both directors at Lockheed
Martin.
Burns is also a director for Entegris,
which is "the leading manufacturer of graphite and silicon carbide
materials and products for use in Aerospace applications,” according to
their website.31 He serves on the board of the Atlantic Council (see below).32
Media commentary: Burns has made appearances on CNN and Fox News in addition to penning op-ed columns for the Boston Globe. He has expressed strong support for a strike on Syria and suggested that inaction may threaten national security.33 From one of Burns’s Boston Globe op-ed pieces (9/7/2013):
From a foreign policy perspective, the decision isn’t
even close — the United States must act by attacking President Bashar
Assad’s air force, artillery, and command and control assets within
Syria. The goal is to intimidate him, degrade his military capacity, and
deter him from ever using these weapons again. There are risks, to be
sure, in any use of force. But this will not be another Iraq — the
United States will not put ground troops into Syria. And the risks are
even greater if we do nothing.34
From CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley (9/1/2013):
BORGER: And Nick Burns, let me ask you, what are the
implications of this kind of delay for our allies in the region, or in
Syria, for that matter?
BURNS: Well, Gloria, there are some risks here. Risk one is that
Assad will misread this, not understand what the president is trying to
do as David has described in terms of domestic affairs and believes that
we’re a paper tiger. And that will embolden him. The second risk is
that Iran, Hezbollah and Russia, the coalition supporting Assad, will
also feel that they have got license to continue what they’re doing. So
the president needs to counteract those.35
William S. Cohen
Identified as: Former Secretary of Defense during the
Clinton Administration; former Republican Senator and Congressman from
Maine; served as a Director of the Council on Foreign Relations
Industry ties: Cohen is Chair and CEO of the Cohen Group,
a global consulting firm with Aerospace & Defense and Homeland
Security among its practice groups, both led by Cohen. The firm’s
website asserts Cohen’s particular credentials in those areas. The Cohen
Group has previously been registered as a lobbyist to the federal
government on behalf of defense contractors Lockheed Martin, General
Dynamics, United Technologies and others. James Loy, senior counselor to
the Cohen Group, and Joseph Ralston, Cohen Group vice chairman, are
both directors for Lockheed Martin. Cohen is also a trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.36
Media commentary: Cohen has made multiple appearances on
CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, and Bloomberg TV to discuss Syria in recent weeks. He
has expressed confidence in the US intelligence on Syria, but advised
consulting with the UN and Congress and determining more clear
objectives before taking action.37 From CNN Newsroom (9/11/2013):
COHEN: Nonetheless, the president is where he is right
now and if he is forced to take action because the Russians are stalling
and Assad is not complying, then he should use the Desert Fox operation
that President Clinton initiated against Saddam Hussein with a four-day
campaign that did real damage to Saddam’s capabilities. And I think
that’s what the president has in mind.38
Disclosure: MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell and CNBC noted the Cohen
Group affiliation, but did not identify it as a defense consulting
firm. The affiliation was not disclosed in Cohen’s other four
appearances on CNN, Bloomberg TV and MSNBC.
Wesley Clark
Identified as: Retired General; former Supreme Allied
Commander of NATO; senior fellow at the Burkle Center for International
Relations at UCLA
Undisclosed industry ties: Clark founded a consulting firm Wesley K Clark & Associates
in 2004, which, according to its website, "uses his expertise,
relationships, and extensive international reputation and experience in
the fields of energy, alternative energy, corporate and national
security, logistics, aerospace and defense, and investment banking.”39 He currently serves as CEO of the firm. Clients are not disclosed on its website.
Clark sits on the boards of many companies, most of them focused on
the energy sector, and serves as an energy sector advisor to the
Blackstone Group. He serves on the board of MFG.com, a sourcing company, which landed a Department of Defense contract shortly before he joined its board.40 He is also a director of the Atlantic Council (see below).41
Media commentary: Clark has made appearances on CNN and NPR and penned an op-ed for Zocalo Public Square that was published in USA Today. He has expressed condemnation of Syria’s use of chemical weapons and support for Obama’s response on moral grounds.42 From Clark’s op-ed in USA Today (8/29/2013):
But President Obama has rightly drawn a line at the use
of chemical weapons. Some weapons are simply too inhuman to be used.
And, as many of us learned during 1990s, in the words of President
Clinton, "Where we can make a difference, we must act.”43
From CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront (9/4/2013):
CLARK: Because I think if the United States is going to
lead, this is the time to lead, and what the president is doing is
leading. Everyone signed this chemical warfare convention. It outlaws
the use of chemical weapons. It’s actually been in law since 1925. And
this is a chance for the United States and the world community to show
that we meant the piece of paper when we signed it. And that’s what this
is about, U.S. leadership. It is not about the strike. This is about
bringing the United States and the world together to make a statement.
This is not going to be permitted in the 21st Century.44
Roger Cressey
Identified as: former National Security Council staff/White House counterterrorism official; NBC News counterterrorism consultant
Undisclosed industry ties: Cressey was until recently a senior vice president with Booz Allen Hamilton, "supporting the firm’s cybersecurity business and international government clients,” according to its website.45
His profile is no longer available on the Booz Allen Hamilton website,
but was as of September 21, 2013. He is currently listed as a partner
with Arlington-based risk and crisis management firm, Liberty Group
Ventures LLC.46
Media commentary: Cressey has appeared on MSNBC and was
quoted in NBC News commenting on the nature of Syrian rebels and whether
regime change may be a consequence of the US strike.47
From NBC News (9/9/2013):
President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials have said
that any U.S. reprisal for Assad’s alleged use of chemical weapons
against his people would be limited and not aimed at regime change. But
Cressey, the NBC News consultant, and other experts say that attacks –
likely to be in the form of cruise-missile strikes on Syrian
command-and-control facilities — could have that effect, coming at a
time when the rebels have been gaining ground, even making headway in
Alawite strongholds like Latakia. "You don’t have to advertise regime
change,” said Cressey, "but you can strike a series of targets that are
critical to the regime’s survival, that ultimately will help the rebels.48
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