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Michael Ledeen
Michael Ledeen (born August 1, 1941) is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works with the former chairman of the Defense Policy Board, Richard Perle. He is also a contributing editor to the U.S. National Review and the Jewish World Review. Ledeen was a founding member of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs and he continues to serve on the JINSA Board of Advisors. In 2003, the Washington Post alleged that he was consulted by Karl Rove, George W. Bush's closest advisor, as his main international affairs adviser. Ledeen is also a member of Benador Associates a combination "public relations agency", speaker's bureau and blog with a long roster of neo-conservative clients.
In 1974, Michael Ledeen moved to Rome where he studied Italian fascism and terrorism. In 1977, he went to Washington to join the Center for Strategic and International Studies affiliated with Georgetown University. He continued to visit Italy often, and has acknowledged being paid by the Italian military intelligence service in 1980 for "risk assessment" consulting work-as has been reported by The Wall Street Journal. In 1981, Michael Ledeen then became Special Adviser to secretary of state Alexander Haig, previously head of SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe - NATO's European command center).
Academic and political career
Ledeen holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, where he specialized in Modern Europe. At Washington University, Ledeen was denied tenure, according to history department faculty interviewed by the Washington Post, because of questions reqarding the "quality of his scholarship" and about whether Ledeen had "used the work of somebody else without proper credit." He was subsequently named Visiting Professor at the University of Rome. One of Ledeen's principal mentors was the German-born historian George Mosse, for whom he was research assistant at the time Mosse wrote two famous books on National Socialism. Another major influence on Ledeen was the Italian historian Renzo De Felice. Ledeen, who has always been staunchly anti-fascist, holds political views which stress "the urgency of combating centralized state power and the centrality of human freedom" that are said to have influenced or inspired the Bush administration. Ledeen has complained that "It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't read very well that there's a difference between authors and the subjects they write about."
Earlier in his career, Ledeen authored Universal Fascism: The Theory and Practice of the Fascist International, 1928-1936, published in 1972 and now out of print. The book, which was his doctoral disseration, was the first work to explore Mussolini's efforts to create a Fascist international in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Ledeen, along with Arnaud de Borchgrave in The New Republic, exposed some details of Billy Carter's dealings with the Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya.
Ledeen has often been accused of associations with shady organizations. According to the Asia Times, for example, "Ledeen's right-wing Italian connections - including alleged ties to the P2 masonic lodge that rocked Italy in the early 1980s - have long been a source of speculation and intrigue, but he returned to Washington in 1981 as "anti-terrorism" advisor to the new secretary of state, Al Haig." P2 was also involved in Operation Gladio, which was managed by NATO. Michael Ledeen has denied any connections with Licio Gelli's masonic lodge. However, he acknowledged being paid by the SISMI in 1980 for "risk assessment" - along with P2 and Gladio, the SISMI secret services were involved in Italy's strategy of tension.
Ledeen was a major figure in the biggest foreign policy scandal of the Ronald Reagan administration. As a consultant of National Security Adviser Robert C. McFarlane, Ledeen vouched for Iranian intermediary Manucher Ghorbanifar, and met with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the CIA to arrange meetings with high-ranking Iranian officials and the much-criticized weapons-for-hostages deal with Iran that would become known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
In 1974, Michael Ledeen moved to Rome where he studied Italian fascism and terrorism. In 1977, he went to Washington to join the Center for Strategic and International Studies affiliated with Georgetown University. He continued to visit Italy often, and has acknowledged being paid by the Italian military intelligence service in 1980 for "risk assessment" consulting work-as has been reported by The Wall Street Journal. In 1981, Michael Ledeen then became Special Adviser to secretary of state Alexander Haig, previously head of SACEUR (Supreme Allied Commander Europe - NATO's European command center).
Academic and political career
Ledeen holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, where he specialized in Modern Europe. At Washington University, Ledeen was denied tenure, according to history department faculty interviewed by the Washington Post, because of questions reqarding the "quality of his scholarship" and about whether Ledeen had "used the work of somebody else without proper credit." He was subsequently named Visiting Professor at the University of Rome. One of Ledeen's principal mentors was the German-born historian George Mosse, for whom he was research assistant at the time Mosse wrote two famous books on National Socialism. Another major influence on Ledeen was the Italian historian Renzo De Felice. Ledeen, who has always been staunchly anti-fascist, holds political views which stress "the urgency of combating centralized state power and the centrality of human freedom" that are said to have influenced or inspired the Bush administration. Ledeen has complained that "It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't read very well that there's a difference between authors and the subjects they write about."
Earlier in his career, Ledeen authored Universal Fascism: The Theory and Practice of the Fascist International, 1928-1936, published in 1972 and now out of print. The book, which was his doctoral disseration, was the first work to explore Mussolini's efforts to create a Fascist international in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Ledeen, along with Arnaud de Borchgrave in The New Republic, exposed some details of Billy Carter's dealings with the Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya.
Ledeen has often been accused of associations with shady organizations. According to the Asia Times, for example, "Ledeen's right-wing Italian connections - including alleged ties to the P2 masonic lodge that rocked Italy in the early 1980s - have long been a source of speculation and intrigue, but he returned to Washington in 1981 as "anti-terrorism" advisor to the new secretary of state, Al Haig." P2 was also involved in Operation Gladio, which was managed by NATO. Michael Ledeen has denied any connections with Licio Gelli's masonic lodge. However, he acknowledged being paid by the SISMI in 1980 for "risk assessment" - along with P2 and Gladio, the SISMI secret services were involved in Italy's strategy of tension.
Ledeen was a major figure in the biggest foreign policy scandal of the Ronald Reagan administration. As a consultant of National Security Adviser Robert C. McFarlane, Ledeen vouched for Iranian intermediary Manucher Ghorbanifar, and met with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, and officials of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the CIA to arrange meetings with high-ranking Iranian officials and the much-criticized weapons-for-hostages deal with Iran that would become known as the Iran-Contra scandal.
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