Aspen Institute

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The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950 by businessman Walter Paepcke, is a neoconservative think tank. One of its activities is to foster young zionists who are then mentored and placed in policy positions. It also funds zionist activities around the US.

Activities

The Aspen Institute organizes lectures on the preferred topics currently in vogue among neocon circles: relationship between Islam and terror, Iran and nuclear weapons, etc.

Travel

The Aspen Institute also has funded travel by US policy makers to conferences, events, where neocons propound their policy wishes. Several US Congressmen have been sponsored to attend conferences on "terror" and related topics.[1]

Don't mention Israel

Anatol Lieven relates about the Aspen Institute:

The writer Anatol Lieven says he reluctantly took on the issue after 9/11 as a matter of "duty"--when the Carnegie Endowment, where he was a senior associate, asked him to. "I knew bloody well it would bring horrible unpopularity.... All my personal loyalties are the other way. I've literally dozens of Jewish friends; I have no Palestinian friends." Lieven says he was a regular at the Aspen Institute till he brought up the issue. "I got kicked out of Aspen.... In early 2002 they held a conference on relations with the Muslim world. For two days nobody mentioned Israel. Finally, I said, 'Look, this is a Soviet-style debate. Whatever you think about this issue, the entire Muslim world is shouting about it.' I have never been asked back."[2]

People

Presidents

Members

Weber served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1993 and according to his biography,

'Vin is one of the most prominent and successful strategists in the Republican Party and enjoys strong bipartisan relationships across the Legislative and Executive branches of government. He serves as a trusted advisor to senior officials in the Administration and on Capitol Hill, and has counseled numerous Presidential campaigns'.

Weber previously co-chaired a major 'independent' task force on U.S. Policy Toward Reform in the Arab World with former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Prior to 1994, Vin was president and co-director of Empower America a public policy advocacy group alongside other co-directors Jack Kemp, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Bill Bennett. He was a member of the Appropriations Committee and an elected member of the House Republican Leadership and prior to this was campaign manager and chief Minnesota aide to Senator Rudy Boschwitz (1978-1980)

Weber is a contributing columnist to The Hill newspaper and was the publisher of The Murray County Herald from 1976-1978. He has featured in numerous national publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, the Associated Press, National Journal and The New Republic. He has also appeared on NBC’s Nightly News, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS, ABC’s This Week, the CBS Early Show, Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC.

Related organisations

Contact, Resources, References

Contact

Website: www.aspeninstitute.org

Resources

Notes

  1. Kimberly Geiger, Chronicle Washington Bureau Steep drop in travel spending after congressional scandals, $1.34 million this year, down from $3.9 million in 2003, Sunday, October 15, 2006 San Francisco Chronicle
  2. Ferment Over 'The Israel Lobby' by PHILIP WEISS, from the May 15, 2006 issue, The Nation
  3. The Aspen Institute: Milestones.
  4. Wyeth John P Mascotte Accessed 6th February 2008
  5. Clark & Weinstock Vin Weber Accessed 20th March 2008