William Pfaff, Author at

William Pfaff

Columnist

Recent stories

Why We Should Care About the Upcoming U.K. Elections

by William Pfaff on May 06, 2015

The British general election may prove as significant for Europe, and even for the United States, as for Britain itself.

Western Europe's Right-Wing Parties Are Sensational but Ineffectual

by William Pfaff on Apr 16, 2015

The current transatlantic view of Europe is one of continental political decline, elegant at best but ominous at worst.

Iran Deal Could Lead to an Isolated, Disempowered U.S.

by William Pfaff on Apr 08, 2015

The framework agreement reached last week between the UN "5 plus 1" group and Iran has won general approval internationally, except in Israel and among Benjamin Netanyahu's Republican Party claque in Washington, where such was never expected.

Putin and the Neoconservatives

by William Pfaff on Apr 01, 2015

Russia and the United States are engaged in a profound ideological confrontation -- one that isn't widely understood in Western Europe or even at the White House.

The Myth-Addicted Republican Party Is as Ignorant as Can Be When It Comes to Foreign Policy

by William Pfaff on Mar 25, 2015

The first foreign policy speech given by a major Republican presidential prospect, Jeb Bush, in mid-February, was notable for its display of ignorance about the world and its menaces. Unfortunately, such ignorance is common among Republicans.

Bio

William Pfaff is known as a globally respected political commentator and author on international relations, contemporary history and U.S. policy. He has been published in five countries and his column was syndicated by Tribune Media Services.

Pfaff's sometimes controversial opinions on international law, long-term U.S. policies and American foreign relations were noted for their deep concern with the influence of history on today's affairs and their attention to the moral complexities of international politics and action.

Pfaff's column studied European, Middle Eastern, Asian and American concerns through a prism influenced by the experiences of an American living abroad. He has been published in newspapers in Europe, the Middle and Far East, Latin America and the United States.

Pfaff authored eight books, including "The Wrath of Nations" (Simon and Schuster, 1993) and "Barbarian Sentiments: America in the New Century" (Hill and Wang, 2000). His last book "Fear, Anger and Failure: A Chronicle of the Bush Administration's War Against Terror from the Attacks of September 11, 2001 to Defeat in Baghdad" was published in 2004 (Algora Publishing). It offers a collection of his columns on the war on terror, from September 11th until December 2003, when the U.S. policy emphasis shifted from Iraq's reconstruction to American withdrawal. The book has been praised by Russell Baker of The New York Times as "page after page in article after article {Pfaff was writing} what should have been said week after week as Bush's cheery civilian warriors marched us into the Middle East. Really splendid work."

Pfaff has contributed many political essays to The New Yorker magazine. In Europe, his articles have appeared in Commentaire (Paris), Lettre Internationale (Berlin), Politique Exterior (Madrid), Europaische Rundschau (Vienna), Moderna Tider (Stockholm), Forum (Munich), Die Zeit (Hamburg). In the United States he was published in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Affairs, World Policy Journal, and The National Interest, among other magazines. Pfaff was the former deputy director of Hudson Research Europe, the European affiliate of the well-known American policy research institute.

Pfaff graduated from the University of Notre Dame. William Pfaff died in April, 2015.