As hundreds of Jewish leaders make their way to Washington for tomorrow’s National Jewish Leadership Advocacy Dan on Iran — where they will lobby for legislation that would sanction companies helping Iran import or produce refined petroleum — Americans for Peace Now has released new policy language on Iran which opposes sanctions that "target the Iranian people, rather than their leaders" and backs "engagement" without "arbitrary deadlines."
Calling their policy "the only effective approach for dealing with Iran," APN president and CEO Debra DeLee says that "we urge rejecting deadlines imposed by outside parties, or deadlines that are the product of anything other than assessments by the Obama administration of the state-of-play of current diplomatic efforts.
"We also believe that additional sanctions aimed squarely at the ruling regime and its members may make sense, but that the US must not make the mistake of pursuing sanctions that target the Iranian people – like the ‘crippling’ sanctions currently under consideration," said DeLee. "Now is the time to look for ways to signal positive US support for the Iranian people, not to create suffering in order to use that suffering as a weapon against the Iranian leadership."
APN laid out a five-point policy, which can be read in full here, and its press release provides shorter summaries of the points. Here are points 4 and 5:
4. The proposed new "crippling" sanctions should be rejected: Sanctions can be a powerful tool for putting pressure on Iran, and we have thus supported, and continue to support, targeted sanctions against Iran’s government and its leaders, an entire system of which are already in place. However, pursuing sanctions that target the Iranian people, rather than their leaders, is a morally and strategically perilous path that the Obama Administration must reject.
5. Now is the time to send positive signals to the Iranian people: The US should be looking for ways to demonstrate concrete support for and solidarity with the Iranian people. This could mean carefully calibrated public statements of support, including sustained focus on the human rights situation inside Iran. It could also mean clear articulation of a US strategy that does not view the deliberate infliction of suffering and poverty on the Iranian people as an acceptable political tool. In addition, it could involve tangible changes in US policy, like beginning the process of de-criminalizing charitable giving by US citizens to legitimate causes in Iran and establishing responsible legal mechanisms to permit and facilitate such funding.
APN’s full press release is after the jump:[[READMORE]]
It’s Time for an Iran Strategy that Makes Sense, Not "Crippling" Sanctions and Unrealistic Deadlines
Washington, D.C – Americans for Peace Now (APN) today released new policy language that opposes efforts by many Jewish organizations to promote new sanctions to "cripple" Iran’s economy as well as a mid-September deadline on US engagement efforts.
APN President and CEO Debra DeLee commented: "For those who believe in Mideast peace, Iran remains an issue of central importance, and our new policy on Iran represents the only effective approach for dealing with Iran – one that looks soberly at the current situation and offers the most pragmatic, constructive, and effective way forward. It calls for continued US engagement efforts, coupled with realistic expectations and a strategy that is ready and able to adapt to what remains a dynamic situation."
DeLee added: "We urge rejecting deadlines imposed by outside parties, or deadlines that are the product of anything other than assessments by the Obama administration of the state-of-play of current diplomatic efforts. We also believe that additional sanctions aimed squarely at the ruling regime and its members may make sense, but that the US must not make the mistake of pursuing sanctions that target the Iranian people – like the ‘crippling’ sanctions currently under consideration. Now is the time to look for ways to signal positive US support for the Iranian people, not to create suffering in order to use that suffering as a weapon against the Iranian leadership."
"America must choose between the discredited approach of increasing sanctions that lay the ground for the next war and giving diplomacy a fair chance to work," DeLee said.
The central points of APN’s newly released Iran policy are:
1. Engagement is still the right policy: Given the urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat and other Iran-related concerns, it is imperative that the Obama Administration continue efforts to engage Iran on the full range of issues on the agenda. By their nature these issues do not permit the US to stand aside and put engagement efforts on hold until the Iranian domestic situation has clarified.
2. Engagement should be based on realistic expectations and a readiness to adapt: Policymakers must recognize the limits to what engagement can be expected to achieve in the short-term, and that any engagement strategy will have to evolve and adapt as the situation in Iran evolves.
3. Arbitrary deadlines are a mistake: Deadlines imposed by outside parties, as well as deadlines arrived at outside of a process involving judicious and ongoing assessments by the Obama Administration of the state-of-play and value of current diplomatic efforts, are unhelpful and potentially counter-productive. If and when the President decides engagement – or waiting for engagement – with Iran has exhausted its usefulness, he has the authority to pursue further action at that time, including laying out deadlines.
4. The proposed new "crippling" sanctions should be rejected: Sanctions can be a powerful tool for putting pressure on Iran, and we have thus supported, and continue to support, targeted sanctions against Iran’s government and its leaders, an entire system of which are already in place. However, pursuing sanctions that target the Iranian people, rather than their leaders, is a morally and strategically perilous path that the Obama Administration must reject.
5. Now is the time to send positive signals to the Iranian people: The US should be looking for ways to demonstrate concrete support for and solidarity with the Iranian people. This could mean carefully calibrated public statements of support, including sustained focus on the human rights situation inside Iran. It could also mean clear articulation of a US strategy that does not view the deliberate infliction of suffering and poverty on the Iranian people as an acceptable political tool. In addition, it could involve tangible changes in US policy, like beginning the process of de-criminalizing charitable giving by US citizens to legitimate causes in Iran and establishing responsible legal mechanisms to permit and facilitate such funding.
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