Paul R. Pillar

Paul R. Pillar is director of graduate studies at Georgetown University's Security Studies Program and a former national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia.  He is a contributing editor to The National Interest where he writes a daily 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

Deeper into Terrorism

| 02.09.12

Reports that Mossad is working with an Iranian terrorist group raise larger questions about Israel and American interests.

Security

Afghanistan and the Guantanamo Roach Motel

| 02.07.12

Six dangerous misconceptions about the Taliban and the war in Afghanistan that may be preventing peace.

Politics

What Is Our Number One Priority?

| 02.06.12

Obama is equating—and subordinating—U.S. interests to Israeli interests. The implications for U.S. policy are disastrous. 

Society

Regime Change, Humanitarianism and Syria

| 02.05.12

Muddied thinking on Syria is leading the United States toward dangerous conclusions.

Security

The Right Direction on Afghanistan

| 02.02.12

Redefining objectives in Afghanistan is not enough. Policy makers must reconsider what U.S. interests are at stake there.

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February 12, 2012