The Coalition for Democracy in Iran (CDI) was an advocacy outfit supported by a number of neoconservative
writers and based in the office of Morris Amitay,
the one-time director of the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee (AIPAC). CDI worked closely with AIPAC to encourage Congress to pass resolutions
condemning Iran. Established in 2002 and operational through early 2005, CDI announced on its (now-defunct)
website that as of May 2005, "There will no longer be new postings on this website indefinitely" (see
Web Archive of CDI).
CDI's statement of purpose read: "The Coalition for Democracy in Iran (CDI) has been formed to
mobilize the efforts of groups and individuals across the United States, including Iranian-Americans,
who support the aspirations of the Iranian people for democracy and respect for human rights in Iran.
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, there is an even greater urgency to focus the attention
of the U.S. public opinion and the policy makers on the real agenda of the Iranian regime. ... On the vital
issues of support for terrorism and development for weapons of mass destruction, the Islamic Republic
tolerates no dissention. Nor has the theocracy been able to deliver economic and political reforms for
the people of Iran. Promoting democracy in Iran will build a more peaceful and prosperous Iran, advancing
the common interests of both Americans and Iranians."
When it was formed in late 2002, CDI relied on the support of a number of advocates of hardline U.S.
policies in the "war on terror," including several neoconservatives from the American
Enterprise Institute (AEI)— Michael Ledeen, Joshua
Muravchik, and Danielle Pletka. Other
supporters included Frank Gaffney, Jack
Kemp, Bruce McColm, Rob Sobhani, Raymond Tanter,
and James Woolsey (see "Individuals Expressing
Support for the CDI," Web Archive).
Like its many partners in the neoconservative advocacy community—including the U.S.
Committee for a Free Lebanon, the Foundation
for Defense of Democracies, the Project for
the New American Century, and the Committee
for the Liberation of Iraq —CDI was founded on the notion that engagement and dialogue with leaders
in "terrorist" states is counterproductive. Its website stated: "Engaging reformists tied
only to the regime is counterproductive since it stifles the growth of more democratic forces inside
Iran. Perpetuating the behavior of the current regime fundamentally undermines U.S. moral values and
national security interests. Any positive U.S. gestures toward Iran should be directed toward the people
of Iran and not its current oppressive regime."
The group's founding goals included: reporting on human rights abuses in Iran; highlighting Iran's
ties to global terrorism and its efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction; exposing the efforts
of the Iranian regime to undermine progress toward Middle East peace; and drawing attention to the flagrantly
discriminative treatment of women in Iran.
Several of the CDI principals were among the main presenters at a May 2003 AEI forum titled "The
Future of Iran: Mullahcracy, Democracy, and the War on Terror," which was also cosponsored by the Hudson
Institute and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Setting the tone of the forum, moderator Meyrav
Wurmser of Hudson said: "Our fight against Iraq was only a battle in a long war. It would be
ill conceived to think we can deal with Iraq alone. ... We must move on, and faster." Panelist Morris
Amitay, listed on the program as the vice chair of the Jewish
Institute for National Security Affairs, made mention of his association with CDI, adding that, "The
only way that there can be any positive action on Iran is if we try to keep the issue on the front burner
and particularly, before, as was pointed out, they do get their nukes" (AEI, "Future of Iran," May
2003).
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), whose sponsorship
of congressional resolutions against Iran has been closely coordinated with CDI, AIPAC, and Middle East
experts at AEI and other neocon policy centers, also spoke at the event, and Michael Ledeen, who called
Amitay the "godfather of AIPAC," was another moderator. Other panelists included Reuel
Marc Gerecht, an AEI scholar, and Sobhani, an Iranian-American who is president of Caspian Energy
Consulting and a supporter of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted shah of Iran (BBC, July 30, 2003).
Although CDI called for greater democracy in Iran, the close association of figures such as Ledeen
and Sobhani with Pahlavi raised concerns that CDI was part of a U.S. plan to restore the monarchy in
Iran. Writing in the International Herald Tribune, Cameron Kamran, an Iranian-American commentator,
said, "The Coalition for Democracy in Iran has strong ties to the exiled Reza Pahlavi, the deceased
shah's son, and the Iran Democracy Act would largely fund dissident groups that advocate a restoration
of the monarchy" (International Herald Tribune, June 6, 2003).
To build support for their Middle East-restructuring agenda, CDI and other neoconservative groups
repeatedly highlighted the repressed role of women in Islamic societies. CDI's Sobhani argued at the
May 2003 AEI forum: "There's a young lady here in the United States who is in her mid-thirties.
She's a deputy secretary of education in the United States, an American Iranian. That same 30-something
in Iran has to prostitute herself to make ends meet." His comments drew complaints to the administration
of Georgetown University, where Sobhani was at the time a professor. In a letter to the university provost,
Iranian-American students wrote: "Mr. Sobhani's irresponsible and inappropriate statement implies
that Iranian women are prostitutes, however competent they might be. His allegation is both false and
malicious.... His manner of argument uses the degradation of the image of Iranians to that of a helpless,
backward people as a tactic to gain support for his political agenda" (Koorosh Arfaian, "Petition
to Expel ...").
CDI and AIPAC were among the main policy groups that worked with House and Senate members to pass
resolutions in 2003 and 2004 that expressed support for regime change in Iran, called for more restrictive
international sanctions, and condemned Iran for its alleged support of terrorism. Congressional members
taking the lead were right-wing Republicans such as Rep. Christopher
Cox (R-CA), Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Rick
Santorum (R-PA), and Brownback. But the Iran congressional initiatives also drew in Democrats as
sponsors, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI).
After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, CDI and its supporters began increasingly to blame Iran for
the anti-U.S. insurgency in Iraq. CDI stated: "It is clear that Iran's mullahs will not tolerate
an emerging democracy on their border. They have reportedly sent millions of dollars and numerous intelligence
operatives into Iraq to create chaos and attack Coalition forces. Iran's biggest export continues to
be terrorism. If we are to succeed in Iraq, Iran must be reined in. We call upon the administration to
react to this clear and present danger to U.S. interests by using all the means at its disposal to deter
Iran's activities in Iraq and its development of nuclear weapons" (CDI Media Release, April 13,
2004).
