An Ideological Echo-Chamber in the House of Representatives
WASHINGTON, DC — The final round of the Iran nuclear negotiations is underway, and public opinion across the United States is emphatically favorable—with the latest polling, from NBC, showing that Americans support a deal by a 2 to 1 margin. But sooner or later, it’s Congress that will have to decide whether to approve the […]
Congress races to distort facts and kill Iran opening
From IranFact.org At the UN this week, the world saw a very different exchange between the U.S. and Iran than in the past years. Iranian President Rouhani declared that Iran does not seek nuclear weapons and seeks to remove “mutual uncertainties with full transparency,” saying Iran “does not seek to increase tensions with the United States.” […]
The House Gets Bad Advice
When it comes to crafting law, Congress seeks input from outside experts to help inform and guide their decisionmaking. The type of experts the body seeks out can say a lot about why Congress does what it does. Last Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee invited some particularly revealing “expert witnesses” that say a lot […]
These Are the Facts
Today marked the release of the first in a series of reports from an impressive group of former US ambassadors, retired generals and policy experts dubbed The Iran Project. The primary purpose of the paper, titled “Weighing Benefits and Costs of Military Action Against Iran”, is to answer the tough questions and ensure that Americans […]
Kristol’s Push for Military Strikes Against Iran
William Kristol and Jamie Fly, neoconservatives who were instrumental in orchestrating the War in Iraq, are at it again. While their previous war advocacy shop, the Project for a New American Century, is now defunct (after a job well done), they have reconstituted their pro-war efforts in the form of the Foreign Policy Institute. This […]
Romney says war with Iran already authorized
This past weekend, Bill Kristol came out and said the President should seek an authorization for war with Iran from Congress. It’s no surprise that Kristol and friends have ratcheted up their rhetoric in the days ahead of critical negotiations with Iran that the pro-war hawks hope will go badly. Given a chance to weigh […]
Ending characterization of “the other” is key to an Iran agreement
As a French-Iranian who has been exposed to both Iranian and Western mindsets, I have witnessed the lack of understanding that exists between Iran and the United States firsthand. During my travels and personal meetings, I have been able to access both narratives and what has struck me most is the harsh and intense misleading […]
Congressional zero-enrichment demand will “lead to either an Iranian nuclear weapon or a new war”
In an important piece in the LA Times, Daniel Kadishson explains how Congressional demands for “zero enrichment” as the only acceptable diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear impasse is obstructing legitimate chances to ensure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon and to prevent war. “To prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon,” he writes, […]
A Neocon Upstart Attacks Academic Freedom and Iranian American Views
I thought it would be a typical Thursday at work last week, but as soon as I arrived to the office, an associate pulled me aside and pointed to a series of defamatory tweets against me and the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), the organization for which I intern. The tweets were directed at me by neoconservative upstarts […]
How Badly Has War Rhetoric Backfired on Iran Hawks?
Threats of war with Iran were never intended to drive the U.S. and Iran into sustained talks. Hawks in Congress have gone so far as to attempt to institutionalize the U.S. “no-contact” policy with Iran. Bibi Netanyahu has in many ways so effectively perpetrated the post-Cold War reorientation of Israel against Iran as to take […]
House now has three resolutions endorsing Israeli-led preventive war on Iran
The pro-Iran war posturing continues in the House, with yet another Member of Congress throwing their hat in the ring to signal support for Israeli-led preventive war on Iran. Arizona Republican Paul Gosar has dropped what is now the third resolution in the 112th Congress providing Congressional cover for Israeli strikes—which the Pentagon has warned […]
Washington and Tehran’s Vicious Spin Cycle
The crux of negotiations between the U.S. and Iran is that, at some point, in order to succeed, each side will have to take a deep breath and shake hands on a deal. But thirty years of mutual demonization and fear mongering, means it takes serious political courage to come to the table, and even […]