Friday, February 11, 2005
U.S. Policy Options for Iran (Iran Policy Committee - Feb 2005)
Executive SummaryIran poses six threats to American interests and ideals:
• Drive to acquire nuclear weapons
• Continuing support for and involvement with terrorist networks
• Publicly-stated opposition to the Arab-Israel peace process
• Disruptive role in Iraq
• Expansionist radical ideology
• Denial of basic human rights to its own population
With respect to these threats from Iran, Washington circles largely divide between two alternatives—those who favor engagement with and those who support military strikes against the regime. Few favor regime change as an end in itself.
While the Bush administration does not yet explicitly call for changing the regime, it advocates working with the Iranian people as opposed to the unelected theocracy in Tehran, which is an implicit policy of regime change.
By calling for change in Tehran based on the Iranian opposition instead of the U.S. military, the Iran Policy Committee (IPC) highlights a third alternative: Keep open diplomatic and military options, while providing a central role for the Iranian opposition to facilitate regime change.
Click here for the complete report!
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