Paul Wolfowitz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Wolfowitz
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Official portrait, 2001
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| 10th President of the World Bank Group | |
| In office June 1, 2005 – June 30, 2007 |
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| Preceded by | James Wolfensohn |
| Succeeded by | Robert Zoellick |
| 28th United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office March 2, 2001 – June 1, 2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Secretary | Donald Rumsfeld |
| Preceded by | Rudy de Leon |
| Succeeded by | Gordon England |
| 5th Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies | |
| In office 1994–2001 |
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| Preceded by | George R. Packard |
| Succeeded by | Jessica Einhorn |
| Under Secretary of Defense for Policy | |
| In office May 15, 1989 – January 19, 1993 |
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| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Fred Iklé |
| Succeeded by | Frank G. Wisner |
| United States Ambassador to Indonesia | |
| In office April 11, 1986 – May 12, 1989 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | John H. Holdridge |
| Succeeded by | John Cameron Monjo |
| 16th Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs | |
| In office December 22, 1982 – March 12, 1986 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | John H. Holdridge |
| Succeeded by | Gaston J. Sigur Jr. |
| 12th Director of Policy Planning | |
| In office February 13, 1981 – December 22, 1982 |
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| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Anthony Lake |
| Succeeded by | Stephen W. Bosworth |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 22, 1943 New York City, United States |
| Political party | Democratic (before 1981) Republican (1981–present) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Cornell University (BA) University of Chicago (MA, PhD) |
Paul Dundes Wolfowitz (born December 22, 1943, in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York City) is an American political scientist and diplomat. He has held several important roles in the U.S. government and international organizations. These include serving as the 10th President of the World Bank, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, and the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia. He was also the dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University.
Wolfowitz was a strong supporter of the Iraq War in 2003. He is often described as one of the main thinkers behind the war. After the invasion, he denied influencing policy on Iraq.
In 2005, he became president of the World Bank. He resigned two years later due to a controversy. This involved claims that he used his position to help a World Bank staff member with whom he had a relationship. He is the only World Bank president to have resigned because of a scandal.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paul Wolfowitz was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York. He was the second child of Jacob Wolfowitz and Lillian Dundes. His family was Polish Jewish immigrants. He grew up mostly in Ithaca, New York. His father was a professor at Cornell University.
As a student at Cornell, Paul was deeply affected by John Hersey's book Hiroshima. This book is about the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. His family history also shaped his views. His father escaped Poland after World War I, but the rest of his father's family died in the Holocaust.
In the mid-1960s, while at Cornell, he met Clare Selgin. They married in 1968 and had three children. They later separated in 1999 and divorced in 2002. In late 1999, Wolfowitz began a relationship with Shaha Riza. This relationship later caused controversy during his time at the World Bank.
Wolfowitz speaks five languages besides English. These are Arabic, French, German, Hebrew, and Indonesian.
Learning and Degrees
Wolfowitz started at Cornell University in 1961. He was part of the civil-rights march on Washington in August 1963. He earned a B.A. in mathematics in 1965. He decided to study political science in graduate school. He later said he wanted to prevent nuclear war.
In 1972, Wolfowitz received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Chicago. His doctoral paper was about preventing nuclear weapons from spreading in the Middle East.
Career in Government
Arms Control and Defense Work
In the 1970s, Wolfowitz worked as an aide to Senator Henry M. Jackson. Jackson was a Democrat who supported strong military spending.
In 1972, Wolfowitz joined the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA). He wrote research papers and helped with arms limitation talks. He also helped stop South Korea from developing nuclear weapons.
Under President Gerald Ford, Wolfowitz joined a group called Team B. This group looked at how the C.I.A. was understanding the threat from the Soviet Union. Team B's 1976 report said the Soviets were still aiming for global power. Wolfowitz focused on Soviet missile strategy.
In 1977, during the Carter administration, Wolfowitz moved to the Pentagon. He worked as the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Regional Programs.
In 1980, Wolfowitz left the Pentagon. He became a visiting professor at Johns Hopkins University. He then joined the Republican Party. He felt the Democratic Party had changed its views on international relations.
Foreign Policy Planning
After Ronald Reagan became president in 1980, Wolfowitz joined the Department of State. He became the Director of Policy Planning.
President Reagan's foreign policy was influenced by the idea that it takes a long time for countries to become democracies. Wolfowitz disagreed with some of the administration's views. He spoke out against Saddam Hussein of Iraq. He also opposed talking with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and selling advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia. He was a strong supporter of Israel.
Wolfowitz also challenged the policy toward China. He argued that the U.S. did not need China's help as much as China needed the U.S. to protect it from the Soviet Union. He was later promoted.
East Asian Affairs
In 1982, Wolfowitz became Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
He worked to change U.S. policy in the Philippines. The U.S. had supported the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. After a key opposition leader was killed, many in the Reagan administration worried the Philippines could fall to communists. Wolfowitz argued that "The best antidote to Communism is democracy." He visited Manila and met with opposition leaders. The U.S. eventually supported democratic reforms, and Marcos left the country.
Ambassador to Indonesia
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From 1986 to 1989, Wolfowitz served as the U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia. This was during the military-backed government of President Suharto.
Wolfowitz was successful as ambassador. He learned the Indonesian language and explored the culture. He was interested in development, including health care and agriculture. He even stopped food aid to the Indonesian government. This was because he worried Suharto's family was unfairly benefiting from it.
Undersecretary of Defense
From 1989 to 1993, Wolfowitz was Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He worked under Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. His team helped plan military strategy. They also raised $50 billion from allies to support the war.
After the Gulf War, Wolfowitz and his assistant Scooter Libby wrote a plan called the "Defense Planning Guidance of 1992." This plan became known as the Wolfowitz Doctrine. It said that the U.S. should prevent any new powerful rivals from emerging. It also stated that the U.S. should maintain strong military power. This plan suggested that the U.S. might act alone if needed. Many of these ideas later became part of the Bush Doctrine.
Johns Hopkins University
From 1994 to 2001, Wolfowitz was a professor and Dean at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He helped raise over $75 million for the university. He also helped develop new study programs.
Wolfowitz was connected with the Project for the New American Century (PNAC). This group supported a strong U.S. role in the world. In 1998, he testified that the U.S. needed to free the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein. In 2000, the PNAC released a report. It suggested that the U.S. should have permanent military bases around the world. This would help protect U.S. interests.
Deputy Secretary of Defense
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From 2001 to 2005, Wolfowitz served as U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense. He worked under Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during the George W. Bush administration.
The September 11 attacks in 2001 were a major event. Wolfowitz believed this was a "wake up call" to prevent future terrorist attacks with dangerous weapons. After the attacks, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz suggested going against Iraq. They believed Iraq was a weak regime that could be easily defeated. This idea was initially rejected.
The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to fight Al-Qaeda. Wolfowitz believed the U.S. could handle it without much help from allies. He later visited Kabul, Afghanistan, and said the priority would be stability and rebuilding.
In April 2002, Wolfowitz attended a rally in Washington to support Israel. He spoke about U.S. solidarity with Israel. He also mentioned that innocent Palestinians were suffering.
After the Afghanistan invasion, the Bush administration planned the next stage of the War on Terror. Wolfowitz believed a free Iraq could be a model for other countries in the Middle East. The 2003 invasion of Iraq began on March 19.
Before the invasion, Wolfowitz strongly supported it. He later said that the main reason given for the war was Iraq's weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He believed that Iraq's oil money would pay for its rebuilding after the war. However, this turned out to be incorrect.
Wolfowitz also disagreed with military estimates for the number of troops needed in Iraq after the war. General Eric K. Shinseki said several hundred thousand soldiers would be needed. Wolfowitz thought fewer than 100,000 would be enough.
In October 2003, Wolfowitz was in Baghdad. His hotel was attacked by rockets, but he was not hurt.
President of the World Bank
In March 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Wolfowitz to be president of the World Bank. Some people criticized his nomination. Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz worried it would make the World Bank unpopular. Economist Jeffrey Sachs said the position needed someone with more experience in development.
However, others praised the nomination. They said Wolfowitz was willing to speak the truth. They believed he could stand up to dictators. He was confirmed and became president on June 1, 2005. He attended the 31st G8 summit to discuss climate change and development in Africa.
Wolfowitz focused on two main issues. He traveled widely in Sub-Saharan Africa to help improve living standards. He also focused on fighting corruption. Some of his actions on corruption caused debate. Member countries worried that his decisions might be influenced by U.S. foreign policy.
Recent Activities
After leaving the World Bank, Wolfowitz became a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He has written articles for various publications.
In February 2013, Wolfowitz publicly supported legal recognition for same-sex marriage. He signed a document for the U.S. Supreme Court.
In 2015, he advised presidential candidate Jeb Bush. In 2016, he said he would vote for Hillary Clinton, but later claimed he did not.
In January 2017, Wolfowitz wrote an article for The New York Times. He commented on a letter from diplomats criticizing President Trump's immigration policy.
In February 2023, Wolfowitz received the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon. This award was given by President of the Republic of China Tsai Ing-wen.
See also
In Spanish: Paul Wolfowitz para niños
- Joint Vision 2020
- Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP)
- World Bank Group
