Paul R. Pillar

Paul R. Pillar is Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University and Nonresident Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution.  He is a contributing editor to The National Interest, where he writes a blog.


Essays

Politics

Unintelligent Design

| 08.24.10

In the wake of the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil, Americans cried out for catharsis. The 9/11 Commission delivered. What we are left with is an ill-conceived bureacracy in the guise of reform.

Security

Making the Grade: From A to F, How the U.S. Measures Up in its Struggle Against Global Extremism

| 02.29.08

The results are in. Did the United States pass the test? Leading terrorism experts hand in their marks on U.S. efforts.

Security

The Right Stuff

| 08.29.07

The CIA’s estimate of WMD in Iraq is in the spotlight, but it was their assessments of post-Saddam Iraq that were dead-on and deserve attention. David Ignatius highlighted Paul Pillar’s story of how the agency

The Great Debate

Security

Debating Afghanistan

| 03.01.10

Should Kabul be the focus of Obama’s strategic agenda? Former NIO Pillar argues intervention has devolved into a worthless quagmire. Iraq War veteran Nagl believes we must vanquish al-Qaeda to the borderlands of AfPak.

Reviews

Society

Parthian Shot

| 04.27.09

Iran was a glorious empire, but has also been a conquered nation. This complex mixture of pride and insecurity continues to define the Republic.

Security

The Tao of the Arab Center

| 10.30.08

The Bush administration may have gotten a lot wrong, but there is still hope for America’s policy in the Middle East. Three books shed some light on how the United States can get over Iraq.

Commentary

Security

The Al-Qaeda Fallacy

| 12.14.09

Our obsession with al-Qaeda is blinding us to the real threat: decentralized groups of already radicalized individuals attacking American targets on their own. Escalating conflicts in the Muslim world won’t solve the problem—it will only make the

Society

The Bully Wins

| 06.15.09

Ahmadinejad’s “victory” in Iran has caused internal disorder—and could poison the Obama administration’s efforts at engagement.

Security

Making the Grade

| 02.25.08

The results are in. Leading terrorism experts hand in their marks on how the United States is doing in its struggle against global extremism.

Security

Sometimes the CIA is Right

| 06.06.07

With the CIA under fire once again—this time for pre-9/11 failures—it is also important to know what the agency got right. Its assessments of post-Saddam Iraq were dead-on and deserve attention.

Blog Posts

Security

Taking Stock at the Afghan Milestones

| 06.18.13

As NATO hands over power and talks with the Taliban begin, what can we learn from the long war?

Politics

The Iranian People Challenge the West

| 06.16.13

A moderate's election puts the ball in Washington's court on the nuclear issue.

Security

The Commitment Ploy

| 06.13.13

Those pushing Obama to action in defense of his red lines were the ones who wanted the lines drawn in the first place.

Security

Iran and the Syria Conference

| 06.11.13

Admitting Iran to peace talks on Syria shouldn't be seen as a reward or concession.

Politics

The Pendulum of Opinion on Security and Privacy

| 06.09.13

The public is very fickle about government intrusion.

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June 20, 2013