Danielle Pletka (born June 12, 1963 in Melbourne, Australia) is the vice-president for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Pletka researches topics related to the Middle East, South Asia, terrorism, and weapons proliferation, and is the AEI expert on Iraq. She was a senior professional staff member for Near East and South Asia with the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 1992 to 2002 — where she was a
chief aide to Sen. Jesse Helms. Prior to working with the Senate committee she was a staff writer for Insight Magazine from 1987 to 1992 and an editorial assistant with the Los Angeles Times and Reuters, working in Jerusalem from 1984 to 1985.
Pletka ranks as one of the early neo-conservatives, and is also an associate of Martin Indyk. Pletka has been at the forefront of the neocon war drumming against Iraq, and
she has been a champion for Ahmad Chalabi .Pletka is thought to be a likely candidate to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs in the second George W. Bush administration.
Professional History
Senior professional staff member for Near East and South Asia, U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, 1992-2002
Staff writer, Insight Magazine, 1987-1992
Editorial assistant, Los Angeles Times and Reuters, in Jerusalem, 1984-1985
Affiliations
Project for the New American Century – signatory to several PNAC statementsAmerican Enterprise Institute
Committee on the Present Danger – Member
Coalition for Democracy in Iran – Supporter
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Danielle_Ple... Danielle Pletka, vice president of the American Enterprise Institute, with close ties to the Pentagon’s planning group, tells Robert Dreyfuss of American Prospect Magazine that the State Department’s perception of Chalabi is wrong.
“The is running post-Saddam Iraq,” said Pletka, almost shouting. “The people at the State Department don’t know what they are talking about! Who the hell are they? ... the simple fact is, the president is comfortable with people who are comfortable with the INC.” American Prospect, 5/1/2003
December 2003
American Enterprise Institute’s vice president, Danielle Pletka, says that guidelines set by Donald Rumsfeld in August restricting the Pentagon’s communications with Iranian reformers have hindered analysts’ efforts to collect important information. (see August 2003) “I think information is a commodity we trade in freely in the United States,” she says. “The idea that informational meetings with Iranians should be off-limits to members of our government that deal with nonproliferation and national security seems to me to be foolish in the extreme.” New York Daily Sun, 12/2/2003
Entity Tags: Danielle Pletka, Donald Rumsfeld
June 4, 2004
In an op-ed piece defending Ahmed Chalabi, Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute writes that “throughout the 1990s, Chalabi was regularly accused of malfeasance by his enemies,” and asserts that the conviction in Jordan (see April 9, 1992) “has never been documented.” Los Angeles Times, 6/4/2004
Entity Tags: Ahmed Chalabi, Danielle Pletka
July 23, 2004
Danielle Pletka, vice president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, authors the commentary “The Hawks and the Doves Are Aflutter over US Iran Policy.” Pletka provides a number of recommendations. “The fact is, neither tough love nor tough talk will achieve results in Iran because government—not just the so-called hard-liners but the ‘moderates’ and ‘pragmatists’ as well—are committed to supporting terrorism, developing nuclear weapons and annihilating Israel... First, ... we must use the diplomatic and economic tools at our disposal to embarrass the regime for its abysmal human rights abuses, rally behind dissident student groups and unions and let them know that the US supports their desire for a secular democratic state in Iran. Second, the administration must persuade the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency to stand firm in their confrontation over Iran’s nuclear programs... Finally, the US must lead in the containment of Iran. Iranian weapons imports and exports should be interdicted; financial transfers to terrorists must be identified and confiscated; terrorists traveling into and out of Iran should be aggressively pursued and eliminated. These steps would not deliver quick solutions, but they are the only rational course available to the US and its allies. We have seen that engagement with the current leadership of Iran would not achieve policy change; all it would do is buy an evil regime the time it needs to perfect its nuclear weapons and to build a network of terrorists to deliver them.” Los Angeles Times, 7/23/2005
Entity Tags: Danielle Pletka
(March 1, 2005)
In response to a BBC request for her views on the crisis in Iran, Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute says: “The longer we wait and the more we negotiate, the longer Iran has to pursue a covert program.... The road to co-operation between Europe and the US involves pursuing the ‘good cop, bad cop’ routine because it will force the Iranians to be serious about dealing with the friendlier party. However, there’s a suspicion in the US and in Europe, and a strong certainty in Iran, that when push comes to shove, the Europeans aren’t going to be willing to cut the ties with the Iranians and say simply that Iran has been cheating, the deal is broken. We need to persuade the Europeans that even if you’re the good cop, you have to be prepared to pull the gun and make the arrest.” BBC, 3/1/2005; Christian Science Monitor, 3/2/2005
Entity Tags: Danielle Pletka
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