The Flawed Logic Behind the JCPOA

What is behind this impulse to empower one enemy, Iran, as we are at war with another, with whom Iran colludes? Why, when the administration is trying to embargo Russian oil, and has warned China against dealing with them, has the administration, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lerov, given Russia “written guarantees “ that they can deal with Iran? Why have we let Russia’s emissary, Mikhail Ulyanov, be our emissary in the negotiations in Vienna, only for him to later brag about the degree of concessions that he and his Chinese colleagues were able to extract from America?

Here to answer these questions and more was our esteemed friend and colleague, David Wurmser.

From December 2018 until September 2019, Dr. Wurmser also served as senior advisor to the U.S. National Security Advisor, Ambassador John Bolton. Prior to this, Dr. Wurmser was the senior advisor from 2003-2007 to the U.S. Vice President Cheney on Middle East, proliferation and strategic affairs. Before becoming the senior advisor for the Vice President in 2003, Dr. Wurmser was the senior advisor to Under Secretary of State John Bolton at the State Department.

Immediately following the 9/11 attacks, Dr. Wurmser consulted until January 2002 for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the U.S. Department of Defense on a war‐related classified project on understanding the nature and strategic significance of terrorist group networks and their interactions with states.Before entering government, Dr. Wurmser founded the Middle East studies program at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in 1996. While at AEI Dr. Wurmser, published Tyranny’s Ally: America’s Failure to Defeat Saddam Hussein.

Dr. Wurmser’s military service includes 11 years of intelligence experience in the U.S. Navy Reserves, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander. LCDR Wurmser was mobilized during the Operational Vigilant Warrior following Iraq’s surge toward Kuwait in 1994 to serve on the Iraq Intelligence Task for the DIA. He is the recipient of the prestigious Defense Meritorious Service Medal.Dr. Wurmser holds a B.A. (political science), M.A. (international affairs and international economics) and a Ph.D. (on U.S. foreign policy and Middle East affairs) from the Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his book, he has published extensively in in major periodicals including: The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times and Commentary.