Elizabeth O?Bagy, who wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, calling for more U.S. involvement in Syria by providing weapons to the rebel fighters, was recently fired from a Washington think tank, The Institute for the Study of War?(ISW), for lying about her education credentials.
O’Bagy’s piece, published on August 30, 2013, in the Journal, was classified as “opinion” and was summed up by the following tagline:
“The conventional wisdom?that jihadists are running the rebellion?is not what I’ve witnessed on the ground.”
This conclusion was cited by Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and corroborated by Secretary of State John Kerry, while discussing the need to intervene in Syria:
It is not unprecedented to represent an argument on the Senate floor by citing an opinion piece, provided the piece was well-researched. ?Elizabeth O’Bagy’s op-ed seemed to fit this billing, except for the fact that the paper failed to disclose her staff position with the Syrian Emergency Task Force?(SETF), an organization that describes their Washington D.C. political advocacy by saying:
“SETF continues to advocate for greater U.S. action in Syria and is currently meeting with Freshman Congressmen to educate them on the current situation in Syria.”
After the op-ed was published and it was discovered that the newspaper had not disclosed O’Bagy’s staff position at the pro-Syrian rebel lobbying group, the Wall Street Journal updated the credentials at the bottom of the piece.
Prior to being fired from The Institute for the Study of War, when asked about her connection to SETF, an organization that had financial dealings with Syrian rebel groups O’Bagy?answered:
“My research is completely separate. Every journalist and every researcher goes into the conflict with their own background and their own ideas.”
Apparently, they also go into the conflict with their own fabricated background. ?Senator John McCain had introduced her “expert” opinion into the Senate record by referring to her as “Dr. Elizabeth O’Bagy,” when in fact, she held no doctorate degree.
According to O’Bagy, when questioned about the firing, she had completed her?Master of Arts in Arab Studies from Georgetown University and had reportedly submitted and defended her dissertation at the same institution – but had yet to receive her PhD.
As much as Senator McCain and Secretary John Kerry would like to lean on O’Bagy’s testimony as proof of the need for the United States to become more involved in the Syrian conflict, on the side of the Syrian rebels, her position on the matter is now clouded with the fact that she did not require the Wall Street Journal to disclose her potentially bias-inducing staff position with SETF?and that she was fully capable of stretching the realities of her credentials in order to secure a position at a Washington think tank.
SETF’s executive director, Mouaz Moustafa,?defended her staff member by saying:
?Elizabeth is one of the best experts on Syria and her field work inside Syria along with her extensive networks on the ground makes her one of few people that can help inform policy makers on the reality on the ground.?
The problem with that quote from the executive director of SETF is made very clear by the public relations statement about the firing of O’Bagy, published on their website.
“The Institute for the Study of War has learned and confirmed that, contrary to her representations, Ms. Elizabeth O’Bagy does not in fact have a Ph.D. degree from Georgetown University. ISW has accordingly terminated Ms. O’Bagy’s employment, effective immediately.”
“Contrary to her representations,” this simple phrase is all that matters in discussions as important and far-reaching as sending a country into battle and putting our soldiers’ lives in danger, not to mention, the many innocent civilians that always lose their lives when the bombs start to drop. ?Choosing sides must be left up to those that tell the truth in the smallest areas of their lives, allowing all affected parties to fully trust their word.
Elizabeth O’Bagy, no matter how accurate her positions are, is sadly tainted forever now.
Edited by Jeromie Williams
