Iran Freedom and Regime Change Politics
By Tom Barry
At a time when the Republican Party is divided on immigration reform and when the Democrats and the Republicans are positioning themselves for the mid-term elections on such issues as gay marriage, Congress is demonstrating alarming bipartisan unity on Iran.
On April 27 the House of Representatives passed the Iran Freedom Support Act by a vote of 397 to 21. The bill tightens sanctions imposed on Iran under the Iran Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) of 1996 and tightens sanctions on companies that invest in the country's energy industries. The bill would make U.S. sanctions against Iran under ILSA permanent unless there is a change of government in Iran.
Sponsored by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Tom Lantos (D-CA), the bill authorizes the president “to provide financial and political assistance to foreign and domestic individuals, organizations, and entities that support democracy and the promotion of democracy in Iran. The Senate version of the bill, S. 333, sponsored by Sens. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Evan Bayh (D-IN), currently has 58 co-sponsors.
The bill also authorizes the president “to provide financial and political assistance to foreign and domestic individuals, organizations, and entities that support democracy and the promotion of democracy in Iran.”
Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich, who opposed the bill, argued: “While this bill makes a point of so-called not using force against Iran, be assured this is a stepping stone to the use of force, the same way that the Iraq Liberation Act was used as a stepping stone.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is the most prominent lobbying group pressing for congressional approval of the Iran Freedom Support Act. After the House's approval of the bill, AIPAC told its members and supporters: “Please thank your Representative for voting for the bill and urge your Senators to co-sponsor S.333.” On its website, AIPAC lists the 58 senators who have already agreed to support the companion bill when it comes to the Senate. The Senate bill counts on such Democrats as Barbara Boxer, Maria Cantwell, Dianne Feinstein, and Barbara Mikulski as well as such conservative Democrats as Joe Lieberman and Mary Landrieu.
While AIPAC is the most powerful group advocating a tougher U.S. policy toward Iran, numerous other pressure groups calling for regime change in Iran have emerged over the past several years. One of the earliest, the Coalition for Democracy in Iran (CDI), formed in late 2002, ceased functioning in mid-2005. Operating out of the office of Morris Amitay, the former director of AIPAC, CDI worked closely with AIPAC to encourage Congress to pass resolutions condemning Iran. The CDI principals continue their efforts to promote regime change in Iran through other organizations, including the Foundation for Democracy in Iran, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Committee on the Present Danger, and the American Enterprise Institute.
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Neocons Call for Washington to Support Revolution in Iran
Building a More Peaceful and Prosperous Iran
After the Iraq invasion, CDI principals and the organization itself increasingly began blaming 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.”
See Right Web Profile: Coalition for Democracy in Iran
Timmerman's Crusade
Iran has been waging war against the United States and Israel since 1979, says Kenneth Timmerman of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran, and he urges the U.S. government to get serious about fighting back.
See Right Web Profile: Kenneth Timmerman
Democracy and Regime Change
The neoconservative Foundation for Democracy in Iran wants U.S. democratization funds to help make revolution in Iran. The news items about Iran that FDI features on its homepage create the dual impression that 1) there is a vibrant Iranian opposition with which the U.S. government should be working, and 2) that Iran represents an imminent threat to the United States and Israel.
See Right Web Profile: Foundation for Democracy in Iran
If Not Americans, Then Israelis and Iranians
Founder of the Iran Policy Committee Raymond Tanter says that the U.S. government has sold Israel nuclear bunker-buster bombs that it could use against Iran, and he advocates a regime change policy using the Iraq-based MEK Iranian dissident group as the vanguard.
See Right Web Profile: Raymond Tanter
When it is “absolutely imperative to find something out”
The American Enterprise Institute vice president who supports the government's use of torture, continues to trust Ahmad Chalabi, and rejects any negotiation with Iran.
See Right Web Profile: Danielle Pletka
Adding His Voice to the Chorus
Michael Rubin, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), regularly adds his voice to the chorus of neoconservatives calling for U.S.-supported revolution and regime change in Iran. Like other AEI colleagues, Rubin frequently criticizes the Bush administration for its failure to develop a clear Iran policy.
See Right Web Profile: Michael Rubin
Overwhelming, Paralyzing Force
“If Washington catches the Iranians in a terrorist act, then the U.S. Navy should retaliate with fury … If we attack, U.S. armed forces must strike with truly devastating effect against the ruling mullahs and the repressive institutions that maintain them. That is, no cruise missiles at midnight to minimize the body count.”
See Right Web Profile: Reuel Gerecht
Democratic Revolutionary Targets Iran
Michael Ledeen, a “freedom scholar” at the American Enterprise Institute, tells Congress that the U.S. government needs to get serious about inciting revolution in Iran.
See Right Web Profile: Michael Ledeen
Pax Americana's Budget Shortfall
Thomas Donnelly, military analyst with the American Enterprise Institute and the Project for the New American Century, has since 2000 been the neoconservatives' point man on national security and military policy. As the lead author of PNAC's Rebuilding America's Defenses in 2000, Donnelly provided a blueprint for military transformation based on a security doctrine of U.S. military preeminence and global presence.
See Right Web Profile: Thomas Donnelly
Bush Gives Neocon Institute Credit for Iraq:
President Bush commends the work of the fastest-growing neoconservative think tank, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which is focused on U.S.-Israeli policy, counterterrorism, and working with "democracy activists" in the Middle East, including Iran.
See Right Web Profile: Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Voice of Neocons' Fast-Rising Institute:
In mid-March, Clifford May commended President Bush's dedication to protecting the “free world,” and Bush congratulated the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies for “making a difference.”
See Right Web Profile: Clifford May
