As Iraq stands on the verge of a complete breakdown into sectarian states, former leading neoconservative and Iraq war advocate Richard Perle had made a sudden appearance on Newsmax TV. His statements in the interview were yet another testament to the intellectual degeneration of a group that had once promised a "new Middle East" — only to destabilize the region with violent consequences that continue to reverberate until this day.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which didn't exist at the time of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, has seized large swaths of Syria and, along with a brewing Sunni rebellion, stands in control of large chunks of western, northern and central Iraq.
At the time of the invasion, Perle was one of the leading so-called intellectuals that was known for his strong support of right-wing Israeli parties and his particular closeness to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He served as an adviser to the Netanyahu election campaign in the mid 1990s and, along with other leading neocons, made Israeli security — read: regional domination — a top American priority.