Posted on 06/24/2010 4:00:56 AM PDT by maggief
(snip)
Duncan Boothby, a civilian media adviser to Gen. Stanley McChrystal, was identified as the first casualty of a Rolling Stone article that portrayed the general and his advisers as mocking senior administration officials.
Boothby, who reportedly helped broker access to McChrystal for the Rolling Stone magazine reporter, resigned Tuesday. McChrystal resigned today.
Precisely how Boothby ended up representing McChrystal is unclear, but the military in recent years has often hired former journalists from prominent newspapers to serve as "media advisers" and "strategic communications" experts, often working independently of uniformed public affairs officers. ...
(snip)
Boothby worked for the Army as a contractor employed by a company called Babaricum LLC, according to Stephan Nolan, a spokesman for the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth. Boothby worked at the center from 2007 to 2009 as a strategic communications adviser, Nolan told AOL News.
Before that, Boothby had been in Iraq from 2006 to 2007, where he worked for a communications organization, according to Nolan, who was unsure of the specific company or job.
(snip)
But Boothby's earlier background -- including how he got to Iraq -- is mysterious. He told other journalists, and the Army, that he had once worked for Lou Dobbs at CNN, which AOL News was not able to independently confirm. He also apparently worked at one point for O'Dwyer's, a PR trade publication.
A 2003 article in an independent weekly describes Boothby as a "gifted young actor" involved in local theater productions in North Carolina. The registrar's office at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill confirmed that Boothby received a B.A. in 1993 with dual majors in psychology and radio, TV and motion pictures.
(snip)
(Nolan, the Army spokesman, described Boothby as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from the United Kingdom.)
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at aolnews.com ...
(snip)
But Boothby's earlier background -- including how he got to Iraq -- is mysterious.
(snip)
(Nolan, the Army spokesman, described Boothby as a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from the United Kingdom.)
“Boothby worked for the Army as a contractor employed by a company called Babaricum LLC”
http://barbaricum.com/business.html
//
The Rolling Stone profile was written by Michael Hastings and is titled “The Runaway General.” Duncan Boothby arranged Michael Hastings access to General McChrystal’s staff. The Washington Post reported Boothby’s resignment quoting their source who wished to remain anonymous. Duncan Boothby had worked for General McChrystal for the past year.
Veromi.com
Boothby, Duncan R
Possible Aka’s:
BOOTHBY, DEREK A
BOOTHBY, DEREK G
39
Riverside, CT
Chapel Hill, NC
New York, NY
Manchester Center, VT
Manchestr Ctr, VT
Available
Boothby, Catherine A
Boothby, Derek G
Cisthby, Rory J
//
zoominfo.com
Derek Boothby
Contributor
Manchester Journal
Manchester Center, Vermont
Access contact information!
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Employment History
*
Contributor
Manchester Journal
*
Director In the Department of Political Affairs
United Nations
*
Chairman
United Nations
*
Official and Weapons Inspector
United Nations
*
Chairman
U.N.’s Iraq Operations Group
*
Director of European Division
United Nations Department of Political Affairs
*
Deputy Director of Operations for Weapons Inspections
UN Department of Political Affairs
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Board Memberships and Affiliations
*
Board Member (past)
Europe Division in the Department of Political Affairs
*
Board Member (past)
UN Department of Political Affairs
//
Iran and the Obama Legacy
By Derek Boothby
Posted: 04/29/2010
//
(no link)
Iraq, the vote
Bennington Banner (VT) - Saturday, January 1, 2005
Author: PATRICK MONROE Manchester Journal
MANCHESTER — The man tapped by the United Nations to help oversee Iraq’s first-ever elections later this month travels each week from Manchester to U.N. headquarters in New York City.
Derek Boothby , chairman of the U.N.’s Iraq Operations Group, came out of retirement in June after Secretary General Kofi Annan asked him to work with Iraq’s Ashraf Qazi, special representative of the Secretary General.
Boothby is a former career officer in the British Royal Navy and former deputy director of operations for weapons inspections in Iraq. He spent 21 years with the United Nations and was director of the Europe Division within the U.N.’s Department of Political Affairs and acted as second-in-command for the U.N.’s peacekeeping force in the Balkans.
Boothby ‘s current U.N. stint should last two or three months - if everything goes smoothly, he said. The group he leads is responsible for planning the daily operations of U.N. staff based in Iraq.
The U.N. pulled out of Iraq in September 2003 after attacks on its Baghdad headquarters killed 22 and injured more than 100.
Only recently have U.N. officials agreed to return to Iraq, with just over 200 there to assist with elections, Boothby said.
“The U.N. has a formidable task,” said Boothby . “We have to try to see that the elections ... happen on time, and are fair to all of the various factions within Iraq.”
(snip)
“We will have until October to help them put together a constitution,” said Boothby . “This will not be just a document that has been used in another country, and modified for use in Iraq. It will have to be crafted specifically for Iraq, and address the conditions that are unique to that country. All of the factions will have to be given some say in how the country will be run,” said Boothby .
If it is approved, final elections will be held by mid-December. Those national elections will produce a constitutional government to be in power by Dec. 31, 2005, Boothby said.
However, if the constitution is voted down, the whole process repeats itself with similar deadlines for 2006, he said.
(snip)
//
(no link)
Manchester resident who oversaw Iraq election for the U.N. pleased with results
Bennington Banner (VT) - Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Author: CHRIS PARKER Staff Writer
MANCHESTER — Iraqi voters sent a strong message to insurgents Sunday when they participated in the country’s first independent elections in nearly 50 years, according to a Manchester resident who ran the election operations for the United Nations.
Derek Boothby , chairman of the U.N.’s Iraq Operations Group, said the vast majority of people in Iraq brushed aside threats of suicide bombers and boycotts to say they would stand together for democracy.
“I think everyone is very pleased the elections took place at all despite violence from insurgents,” he said. “Most people have a right to be pleased, except the insurgents.”
Boothby is a former career officer in the British Royal Navy and a former deputy director of operations for weapons inspections in Iraq.
He spent 21 years with the United Nations and came out of retirement last summer when U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan asked him to work with Iraq’s Ashraf Qazi, special representative of the secretary general.
(snip)
//
Cont. ... (Who is Michael Hastings???)
Sounds GAY!! Maybe he was OUT to get McChrystal!!
Is Duncan the son of Derek?
another liberal putz out of Vermont.
Who is Michael Hastings???
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/22/rolling-stone-author-discusses-general-mcchrystal-interview.html
How Rolling Stone Got Into McChrystal’s Inner Circle
Reporter Michael Hastings explains the backstory to the piece that upended a general—and maybe even a war.
EXCERPT
Can you explain how the article came about—what was the pitching and reporting process?
I was Baghdad correspondent for NEWSWEEK for two years, and I left the magazine after covering the elections. I wrote a piece for GQ before Obama took office that raised some serious questions about the direction we were taking in Afghanistan. So it was something I wanted to be writing about. I saw General McChrystal and his new strategy as a way to look at our Afghan policy to see if it’s working or if it’s a totally insane enterprise. I met with editors at Rolling Stone, they seemed into the idea, so I e-mailed McChrystal’s people. I didn’t think I was going to get any access at all. It’s one of those strange journalistic twists. They said yes, come on over to Paris to spend a couple days with us.
How much time did you spend with McChrystal over the month?
Another strange journalistic twist. The Icelandic volcano happens, and so my two-day trip turned into this month-long journey following General McChrystal and his staff around from Paris to Berlin to Kabul to Kandahar and then back to Washington, D.C. I wasn’t with him at every moment, obviously, but fairly regularly over that period of time.
//
The name Stanley McChrystal is rolling off a lot of Americans’ tongues. But who is reporter Michael Hastings? Some basics:
* Hastings served as the Baghdad correspondent for Newsweek for two years. He wrote pieces for the magazine about soldiers from New Orleans dealing with Hurricane Katrina and the battle for control of central Baghdad, among other stories. He also covered the 2008 presidential campaign for Newsweek, an experience he later wrote about in GQ.
* In 2008, Hastings authored “I Lost My Love in Baghdad,” a book about his experiences as a war correspondent for Newsweek in Iraq, and about the death of his aide-worker girlfriend there. George Packer wrote a mixed review of the book in the New York Times, praising Hastings’ ability to capture war details but finding “literary shortcomings” in the love story at the core of the book.
* In addition to writing long-form pieces for Rolling Stone and GQ, Hastings blogs at True/Slant.
* Hastings was on record as being critical of the U.S. approach in Afghanistan before writing the Rolling Stone piece — most notably, in a GQ feature last year titled “Obama’s War.”
* Hastings recently explained the behind-the-scenes details of how the Rolling Stone piece came together to his former employers at Newsweek.
//
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/06/22/innes.mchrystal.reporting/
Hastings, a young reporter whose work has been published in a variety of reputable publications, including the Washington Post, the L.A. Times, GQ and Foreign Policy, was a Newsweek correspondent in Iraq from 2005 to 2007. His girlfriend, Andi Parhamovich, another young journalist, followed him there; she was killed in a Sunni militia ambush in January 2007. His memoir of the experience, “I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story”, was published in 2008, and quickly panned by New Yorker staff writer George Packer in a review in the New York Times.
//
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/19/AR2007011900307.html
American Killed in Iraq Was Set to Marry
By KIM GAMEL
The Associated Press
Friday, January 19, 2007; 9:44 PM
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Andrea Parhamovich was fully in control of her impending engagement, detailing the ring she wanted as well as helping to plan the formal engagement trip _ Paris, Valentine’s Day.
Parhamovich was killed in an ambush in Baghdad, and the Newsweek reporter in Baghdad who planned to marry her said Friday she had e-mailed him just last week with specifications for the ring.
(snip)
hey had been dating for about two years and wanted to travel to Paris in February so he could propose on Valentine’s Day, but the trip had to be postponed until March because of logistics and work demands, he said.
Parhamovich, 28, an activist with the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, died Wednesday in an ambush on her convoy as it traveled through one of Baghdad’s most dangerous neighborhoods. An al-Qaida-linked coalition of Iraqi Sunni insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.
(snip)
National Democratic Institute
http://www.ndi.org/board_of_directors
//
http://www.newsweek.com/authors/michael-hastings.html?start=10
Newsweek
Michael Hastings
//
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/120620
Replacing McChrystal: Can Petraeus Win the War?
By Michael Hastings
Jun 23, 2010
“Is Duncan the son of Derek?”
See veromi.com as “possible relative.”
Both British, both from Vermont, only Duncan Boothby in a veromi search.
Mocking??????????
McChrystal should have been outraged at Biden’s mention of a date certain for troop withdrawals. These comments were putting the lives of the troops at risk and were dooming the Afghanistan mission.
He should have demanded a meeting with the President and Gates, IMMEDIATELY.
Who is Duncan Boothby? (Son or relative of Derek Boothby, UN Weapons Inspector?)
Who is Michael Hastings? (Duncan arranged the Rolling Stone piece.)
All appeared to be in Iraq during the first elections.
His top civilian communications official, Duncan Boothby, resigned Tuesday, according to one official close to McChrystal.
Boothby is well known in Kabul and Washington and has a reputation for helping tell McChrystal’s story and the story of the strategy in Afghanistan. His aggressive outreach efforts were seen by many to be appropriate at a time when the public is either ambivalent or wary of the war.
Boothby worked for Adm. Greg Smith, a two-star, the highest public affairs officer ever in a war zone. Smith accepted Boothby’s resignation after reaction emerged to the article, according to the official.
The McChrystal controversy comes amid an intensified debate in Washington about the way ahead in Afghanistan. Although the strategy of sending an additional 30,000 troops is not yet fully underway – all the troops aren’t on the ground yet – new questions have been raised about the effectiveness of Obama’s strategy.
(no link)
Former weapons inspector Derek Boothby explains UN to residents
Greenwich Post (CT) - Thursday, February 3, 2005
Author: Kristina Berlin Staff Reporter
Derek Boothby , a Britishborn employee of the United Nations, was on hand last Wednesday night to explain what KofiAnnan’s son was really doing with that money from the Swiss company Cotecna Inspection S.A. and what the UN was really doing in Iraq .
Mr. Bootby said that Kojo Annan was actually employed by the company for the value of his contacts in Africa, where he grew up. Furthermore, Kojo had left the company one month before it had become involved in the Oil for Food Program, inspecting freight shipments going into Iraq on behalf of the program. The company then began paying him not to share his expertise with anyone else, though Kojo was not active anymore within the company. In essence, what to some was an international scandal was to Mr. Bootby a case of a son forgetting to tell his dad he was earning some cash.
Mr. Boothby began working for the United Nations after a stint in the Royal Navy, and continued to do so for 20 years. Even after retiring once, he returned in June of last year to serve on the Iraq Operation Group, a committee that operationalizes directives from Kofi Annan, the secretary general of the United Nations.
(snip)
He said he believed that the decision of the U.S. to invade Iraq without being provoked by an actual armed attack was wrong and sends a bad message to other countries who might want to invade places too, such as China with Taiwan.
Because the UN charter states invasion should only occur after armed attack, he believes the UN should not be in Iraq today at all.
“I can tell you personally I don’t think the UN should be there, but the fact is we’ve been told to be there,” he said.
He addressed the differences in perception of the UN in countries that need its help versus countries like the United States. Most U.S. citizens don’t think about it often that the UN takes care of international mail and air traffic.
“Frankly the UN is much more of a hindrance to U.S. policy than a benefit,” he said, and added the third world thinks the UN is in the pocket of the U.S..
(snip)
maggie, you are a gem. Thanks for the research.
I have to give credit where credit is do. The Usurping President is right about McChrystal and his poor judgement. The man has exercised poor judgement almost from the moment he arrived in Afghanistan.
This Duncan Boothby revelation only prooves the point.
Might be Derek’s son, too. I think it is reprehensible that the US Army hires JOURNALISTS. They are a pile of trouble these days, from the NYT down. Now they are embedded? And we PAY them to make the Army look good to the public?
I am so sorry ...
Very interesting research maggie. Especially the possible UN weapons inspections/Kofi Anan connections with Boothby’s dad or brother. Why in the world the military would bring in people, who despise our military and their mission, to write articles is beyond stupid...it’s self defeating.
We might want to see if these people(Hastings and Boothby) have any connections to The Institute For War And Peace Reporting(a George Soros outfit that underminied the war and which I believe trained insurgents in Iraq in yellow journalism and propaganda). My guess is that we will find a connection there somewhere. I will see what I can find when I get a chance later.
Good sleuthing, maggief!
http://www.greenmtnacademy.org/blog/?m=200910
October 22, 2009
Afghanistan Lecture - A Highlight of the Fall Season at GMALL
Filed under: Welcome! — admin @ 10:30 am
On Wednesday, October 7th Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning presented a lecture by Derek Boothby on Afghanistan. This event was attended by 128 people and was truly one of the highlights of our entire 2009 season of course offerings, lectures and events.
The following websites and selected books and publications were offered by Derek Boothby as examples of sources of useful information. There are many others.
Some informative websites:
www.nato/int/ISAF/
www.defenselink.mil/
www.centcom.mil
(McChrystal's Afghanistan Assessment submitted to Gates) http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/Assessment_Redacted_092109.pdf
www.crs.gov
www.iiss.org
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/
www.forces.gc.ca
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html
www.globalsecurity.org
www.siteintelgroup.com
www.csis.org/burke/reports
www.unama.unmissions.org/
www.crisisgroup.org
www.realclearworld.com
http://icasualties.org/oef/
www.understandingwar.org
www.aims.org.af
www.effectivestates.org
Further reading list - selected books and publications:
•Ghost Wars, Steve Coll
•Taliban, Ahmed Rashid
•Descent into Chaos, Ahmed Rashid
•The Accidental Guerilla, David Kilcullen
•The Punishment of Virtue, Sarah Chayes
•The Places in Between, Rory Stewart
•Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
•From Great Game to Grand Bargain, Barnett Rubin and Ahmed Rashid
(Foreign Affairs, Nov-Dec 2008)
•Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, CRS Report for Congress, updated November 12 2008
veromi.com ... searching Derek Boothby
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Boothby, Duncan R
Possible Aka’s:
BOOTHBY, DEREK A
BOOTHBY, DEREK G
39
Riverside, CT
Chapel Hill, NC
New York, NY
Manchester Center, VT
Manchestr Ctr, VT
Available
Boothby, Catherine A
Boothby, Derek G
Cisthby, Rory J
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Boothby, Derek G
Possible Aka’s:
BOOTHBY, DG
72
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Manchester Center, VT
Manchestr Ctr, VT
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Boothby, Catherine A
Boothby, Duncan R
Cisthby, Rory J
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Boothby, Derek G
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At the 2007 NDI Democracy Luncheon, Board Chairman Madeleine K. Albright announced establishment of the Andi Parhamovich Fellowship, named in honor of NDI staff member Andi Parhamovich, 28, who was killed on January 17, 2007, while riding in a convoy that was attacked in Baghdad.
She worked at Air America. She did not support the Iraq war.
Andi’s Story
She Believed She Could, So She Did.
Andrea, “Andi,” Parhamovich was killed on January 17th, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq by a group of terrorists on her return from a political party training session. Born in the small town of Perry, OH on June, 16th, 1978, Andi came into this world wanting to make a positive difference through every experience that life had to offer. After graduating from Marietta College, Andi quickly satiated her affection for self-discovery and the unknown by moving to Boston, MA. She began her career in political communications with the Massachusetts Governor’s office and Department of Economic Development.
After leaving Boston in 2003, Andi moved to New York City and worked in the corporate communications office at Miramax Films and later at Air America Radio. Yet Andi’s fierce spirit and determination to make a difference in this world were made most apparent when she moved to Baghdad in August of 2006. Andi did not support the Iraq war; but believed strongly in promoting democracy and being a part of history in a positive way. She accepted a job with the International Republican Institute in Iraq before joining the National Democratic Institute in late 2006.
Andi wanted to use her education and skills as a communications specialist to help Iraqi political party leaders and parliamentarians develop strategies to reach out to voters and constituents. Andi’s work helped to build the kind of national level political institutions that can help bridge the sectarian divide and improve Iraqi lives.
After graduating from Marietta College, Parhamovich worked in the Massachusetts governor's office. In 2005, she got a job doing fundraising and publicity for Air America.
“Working for a liberal radio network wasn't enough,” said Jamie Horn, who worked with Parhamovich at Air America. “She had to go to the heart of the war and create change and understanding.”
Parhamovich and Hastings had met by way of an interview he conducted with Jerry Springer, who was on an Air America show in New York. An e-mail exchange about the story led to their meeting for milkshakes.
“I considered it a date; she considered it just business,” he said.
Hastings was assigned a permanent posting in Newsweek's Baghdad bureau in late summer 2006; by September, Parhamovich had left her job and joined him here.
Although the couple lived in the same city, they were able to spend time with each other only occasionally. Work, checkpoints and curfews got in the way.
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