Douglas Jay Feith, born July 16, 1953, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American attorney and neoconservative policy official known for his influential role in U.S. foreign policy and strong pro-Israel advocacy. He served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2001 to 2005 during the George W. Bush administration, where he was a principal planner of the Iraq War and a key architect of the administration's Middle East strategy. Feith established and led the controversial Office of Special Plans, created with Paul Wolfowitz, which bypassed traditional intelligence channels to promote evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, alleged ties to al-Qaeda, and threats from Iran, leading to significant criticism including a 2007 Department of Defense Inspector General report that found inappropriate dissemination of alternative intelligence assessments.

Feith co-authored the influential 1996 "Clean Break" paper as part of a study group convened by the Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies, advocating new strategies for Israel and U.S. Middle East policy. Alongside Richard Perle, he founded International Advisors Inc. He was involved in conservative foreign policy circles such as the Project for the New American Century. His staunch pro-Israel stance and advocacy for regime change in Iraq and hardline policies toward Iran have sparked controversy and accusations of manipulating intelligence to justify the Iraq invasion.

Raised in a politically engaged family—his father was Holocaust survivor Dalck Feith, a prominent Socialist Workers Party member—Douglas Feith earned a B.A. in government from Harvard College in 1975 and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1979. Early in his career, he served in the Reagan administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy (1982–1984) and Special Advisor to the Secretary of State in 1984, and under President George H.W. Bush as a Middle East specialist in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (1989–1992).

After leaving government service, Feith became a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). He has taught law and international relations at Georgetown University and advised the Endowment for Middle East Truth. Feith authored the 2008 book "War and Decision," defending his role in the Iraq War. He has faced ongoing criticism, including allegations of dual loyalty due to his close ties to Israeli interests and his influence on U.S. Middle East policy.