Joseph Wilson is a former American diplomat known for his work in Africa and the Middle East. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Niger from 2002 to 2003 and was involved in various diplomatic missions throughout his career. Wilson gained public attention for his criticism of the U.S. government's justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2003, Wilson wrote an op-ed in the New York Times questioning the validity of claims that Iraq was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. His statements led to controversy and the exposure of his wife, Valerie Plame, as a covert CIA officer, which sparked a significant political scandal known as the Plame affair.