Anthony Cordesman
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2014) |
Anthony Cordesman | |
|---|---|
 Cordesman in 2011 | |
| Born | August 1, 1939 Chicago, Illinois,U.S. |
| Died | January 29, 2024(aged 84) |
| Education | |
| Occupation | National security analyst |
| Organization | Center for Strategic and International Studies |
Anthony H. Cordesman(August 1, 1939 – January 29, 2024) was an American national security analyst. He held theArleigh A. BurkeChair in Strategy at theCenter for Strategic and International Studies(CSIS) and was a national security analyst on a number of global conflicts.
Life and career
[edit]Cordesman earned his B.A. from theUniversity of Chicago(1960), his M.A. from theFletcher School,Tufts University (1961), and his Ph.D. from theUniversity of London(1963).
At CSIS, he was the director of the Gulf Net Assessment Project and the Gulf in Transition study, and Principal Investigator of the CSIS Homeland Defense Project. He directed the Middle East Net Assessment Program, acted as co-director of the Strategic Energy Initiative, and directed the project on Saudi Arabia Enters the 21st Century. He was the author of a wide range of studies of energy policy, and wrote extensively on oil and energy risks and issues, and is the co-author ofThe Global Oil Market: Risks and Uncertainties, CSIS, 2006.He was a Professor ofNational SecurityStudies atGeorgetown Universityand fellow at theWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholarsat the Smithsonian Institution.[2][3][4]
Cordesman served as national security assistant to SenatorJohn McCainof theSenate Armed Services Committeeand as civilian assistant to theDeputy Secretary of Defense.He was also a past director of intelligence assessment in theOffice of the Secretary of Defense.[2]He directed the analysis of the lessons of theYom Kippur Warfor the Secretary of Defense in 1974, coordinating the U.S. military, intelligence, and civilian analysis of the conflict. He was awarded theDepartment of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Award.[2]
Cordesman visited and lectured in Asia from the 1960s, and was a senior advisor to the U.S.-Asia Institute. He was a guest lecturer in China on energy and Middle East security for the State Department in 2007. He was the co-author ofChinese Military Modernization: Force Development and Strategic Capabilities, CSIS, Washington, 2007.
Cordesman also served in other government positions, including at theUnited States Department of State,Department of Energy,and director of International Staff atNATO.He carried assignments posts in the United Kingdom, Lebanon, Egypt, Iran, Turkey andWest Germany,and worked in Saudi Arabia.[5]
Cordesman authored over 50 books on U.S. security policy, military strategy, energy policy, and theMiddle East.He was also a long-term contributor to the American hi-fi magazine,The Absolute Sound.[6]
Cordesman died on January 29, 2024, at the age of 84.[7]
Gaza War analysis
[edit]On February 2, 2009, Cordesman published an analysis of the2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.The report relied on Israeli briefings before and after the conflict, including visits to the Israeli Defense Spokesman, interviews with Arab officials, and experts. The report analyzes the views and reactions of Arabs, but emphasized thatHamashas not provided more than "minimal details on the fighting, other than ideological and propaganda statements". Cordesman pointed out improvements in the capability of theIsraeli Defense Forcessince the fighting againstHezbollah in 2006.He believed the military used "decisive force" against legitimate targets, and that the killing of civilians (including women, children, and the elderly), along with other human rights abuses, was justified by Israel's strategic, economic, and political gains.[8][9]
Cordesman's analysis also claimed that Israel did not violate the laws of war.[citation needed]Norman Finkelsteinwrote that this lacked credibility because it relied solely on information from theIsraeli Ministry of Defensewhile ignoring reports from theUnited Nations,NGOs and other News media reports.[10]
War in Iraq and Afghanistan
[edit]Cordesman criticized theBushAdministration's efforts in both theIraqandAfghanistan wars.[11][12]According to an article inNational Business Review,Cordesman was said to have been only "48 per cent" convinced on the need to invade Iraq in 2003, but contended that "concerns overSaddam'sweapons of mass destructionwere valid ". He considered the then current" chaos "in Iraq as the result of" pre-existing fractures in the country's social makeup ", and a" tribal, clan-based society "and not due to a foreign invasion that destroyed the preexisting order.[13]
Iraqi Security Forces: A Strategy for Success
[edit]In 2006, Cordesman publishedIraqi Security Forces: A Strategy for Success,documenting "both the initial mistakes and the recent changes in U.S. policy that now offer real hope of success inIraq".[14]
Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program
[edit]In March 2009, Cordesman issued a detailed assessment entitled "Study on a Possible Israeli Strike on Iran's Nuclear Development Facilities". He concludes with the opinion that "Any realistic resolution to theIranian nuclear programwill require an approach that encompasses Military, Economic, Political interests and differences of the West vs Iran. There will be no lasting resolution to the Iranian nuclear program until the broader interests of Iran, the US, the region and the world are addressed. Iran should be engaged directly by the U.S. with an agenda open to all areas of military and non-military issues that both are in agreement or disagreement. "[15]
References
[edit]- ^Anthony Cordesman, security analyst who saw flaws in U.S. policy, dies at 84The Washington Post,accessed March 18, 2024.
- ^abcCordesman's biography,CSIS website; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^Iraqi Elections – Analysis with Anthony Cordesman[permanent dead link],abc.net.au, 2005; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^Ten Reasons for Reforging the US and Saudi RelationshipArchivedJuly 20, 2008, at theWayback Machine,saudi-american-forum.org; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^Anthony H. Cordesman profileArchivedMarch 30, 2009, at theWayback Machine,saudi-us-relations.org; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^Pearson, Harry (Feb 1992). "The Absolute Sound".The High End Journal.16(77): 1.
- ^"In Memoriam: Anthony H. Cordesman".CSIS.Retrieved30 January2024.
- ^The "Gaza War": A Strategic Analysissummary,csis.org; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^Full analysis,csis.org; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^Finkelstein, Norman(2021).Gaza: An Inquest Into Its Martyrdom.University of California Press. pp. 39–44.ISBN978-0-520-31833-5.RetrievedJune 20,2024.
- ^Cordesman, Anthony D. (2008-03-16)."Opinion | Worse Than Lyndon Johnson's Team?".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2023-02-03.
- ^"Anthony H. Cordesman - Two Winnable Wars".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-18.
- ^Hall, Jeremy (September 17, 2006)."The clash within civilizations".National Business Review.Archived fromthe originalon June 11, 2011.RetrievedSeptember 16,2011.
- ^Iraqi Security Forces: A Strategy for Success,csis.org; accessed November 22, 2014.
- ^“Study on a Possible Israeli Strike on Iran's Nuclear Development Facilities”Archived2009-07-22 at theWayback Machine,csis.org; accessed November 22, 2014.
External links
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