Wednesday
Mar102010
"Iran at a Crossroads": Scott Lucas Speaks in Washington
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at 23:10 
UPDATE 9 MARCH: I'm setting off in a few hours. Iran updates will be lighter than usual until Saturday, but we will keep our eyes on events and try and keep you posted. And, of course, our readers --- thanks to all of you for advice for this trip --- can be relied upon to provide information and comment.have been invited to speak next Wednesday at "Iran at a Crossroads", a hearing organised by the National Iranian American Council at the US Senate Office Building in Washington, DC. The event, sponsored by US Senators and including statements from US Congressman, is expected to draw an audience of legislators, government officials, and journalists, as well as the general public.
The event will be live-streamed from 9 a.m. local time(1400 GMT) at NIACInsight.
9:30 AM-9:45 AM
WELCOMING REMARKS
Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA-14)
9:45 AM-10:15 AM
SPECIAL ADDRESS
Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-5)
10:15 AM-11:30 AM
PANEL I: A CENTURY OLD STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY
Prof. Shireen Hunter
Visiting Fellow, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Prof. Scott Lucas
Professor, University of Birmingham, UK, Editor, Enduring America Blog
Prof. Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak
Director, Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute Center for Persian Studies, University of Maryland
Moderator
Neil MacFarquhar
New York Times
12:00 PM-12:15 PM
SPECIAL ADDRESS
Congressman Mike Honda (CA-15)
12:15 PM-1:30 PM
PANEL II: THE US AND IRAN: BACK TO CONFRONTATION?
Prof. Juan Cole
Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History, University of Michigan
Amb. Robert Hunter
Senior Advisor, RAND Corporation
Prof. Muhammad Sahimi
Professor, University of Southern California
Moderator
Dr. Trita Parsi
President, National Iranian American Council
1:30pm – 1:45 pm
CLOSING REMARKS
Dr. Trita Parsi
President, National Iranian American Council
Reader Comments (83)
Scott---See you there!
Great going, Scott. What an opportunity! Not only to present your views and underline the facts you think this audience needs to know ..... but ...... you're also going to be able to meet Prof Sahimi!!!! :-)
Congratulations, Professor Lucas! I know you'll do a great job! I'm sure a large crowd will be listening along online and providing commentary on the fly! It'll be very interesting to hear how the conversation goes. This flier really doesn't make clear how controversial some of these figures are, it could be quite a fireworks show when it gets going!
I can't help thinking that the structure of this event reinforces the view expressed by some that there are basically two clocks ticking in Iran right now, the countdown to Democracy which has been going on for over 100 years, and the countdown to nuclear arms capability, which may or may not actually be happening, but if it were to be underway, would need to be stopped ASAP.
If you go to debate about that, I suggest you don't try to convince anyone that they can live with a nuclear armed Iran, that is just not going to be thinkable, not after the Holocaust and Cold War and 9/11. That decision has already been made. These PARTICULAR Iranian leaders, assessed as fundamentally unable to be bound by the principles of MAD, are NOT going to be allowed to even come close to getting The Bomb. Especially not after today's comments by Ahmadinejad, adding 9/11 Trutherism to his Holocaust denial.
I think you'd do better to emphasize instead that the current generation fighting for their human rights in Iran is the majority, the result of the postwar baby boom in Iran. Most of them have completed compulsory military training, and could easily take up arms any time they chose. They deliberately emphasize nonviolence in order to keep democratic principles pure and ensure that no thugs arise among them to become the new third-world strongmen that once again hijack the train to democracy.
The people of Iran want to take their rightful place again among the first-world nations, something they can easily achieve once they restore their historical birthright of human rights and freedom, and all they need is a little patience and some assistance communicating with the outside world so their leaders know they cannot simply slaughter them all and then go back to the oil bargaining table without anybody in the West knowing that happened.
If we make human rights the focus of our foreign policy goals with Iran, it will not only be the right thing to do, it will also solve the nuclear problem as a side benefit, because a vibrant democracy's people are the best guardians of nuclear technology.
[If that doesn't work, throw in that all the Iranian uranium is contaminated with molybdenum. Most likely everyone will have forgotten about that completely so if you research a few numbers on it you can totally pwn them! ;-)]
Scott
Great opportunity, Congratulations!
Thanks to all of you for support and your ideas, which are invaluable and which will be prominent in my approach next week. (And, Rev, I will be looking up molybdenum --- as well as learning how to pronounce it --- this weekend.)
S.
Professor Lucas,
Congratulations.
I am sure you’ll be taking a wealth of knowledge and a refreshing point of view to the conference.
I’ll be looking forward to it.
Regards.
Scott,
On behalf of all Iranians trapped in Iran and enduring the pain of daily existence, please bring attention to the daily struggle in Iran. Please bring attention to gross violation of Human Rights.
If I was in the meeting in D.C., I would let the policy makers know that in a truly democratic Iran there will not be any nuclear weapon issue. I would say the first priority in policy making MUST be free and democratic Iran. I would say the current regime and the current political system in Iran cannot be reformed. I would let policy makers know that the IR revised constitution gives absolute and completed veto power to one person and that person is not elected by people or their representatives. I would say democracy and Islamic Republic are contradiction in terms. I would say Islamic Republic is a menace to Iranians, to Middle East, and very soon to the entire world community. I would say a “do nothing policy” is not acceptable anymore and it is against everything the U.S. and other democratic nations have stood for in preserving fundamental human rights and dignity. I would stay remaining Silent and Watching people being arrested at random, tortured, and murdered in Iran is Not an option.
I am very concerned that this meeting may have been planned to serve political interests of certain few. A look at the list some of the invitees especially those from US House of Representatives are very telling.
Scott, please be the voice of all those whom you heard in numerous videos in the past 9 months screaming for help either from their rooftops in the dark of the night or in streets as they ran for their dear lives and those who were silenced forever with bullets, batons and machete knives.
You've done such a great job over the months, Scott!...along with others at Enduring America, of course :-)
I hope Scott will emphasize the struggle of Iranians for freedom and justice, and will inform of how the IRI is torturing people to death, but also that there is hope and we will bring a new paradigm for the entire ME where peace replaces war and the culture of death to and hatred and draconian martyrdom syndrome will be wiped out. People are fed up with the despots and with the dark culture of death and want to live and pursue happiness in freedom and justice. We need the world to hear us and to support out legitimate aspirations for a democratic state and for law and justice
Fortunately, the Leveretts have not been invited. They're just back from having their brains ritually washed at Tehran University's North American Studies faculty, courtesy of Prof. Marandi and his students, and to judge from one of their recent blogs on their experiences, I just don't think their cerebral functions are up to the job of panel participation yet.
http://www.raceforiran.com/is-the-obama-administration-supporting-violent-%E2%80%9Cregime-change%E2%80%9D-in-iran
ad Catherine,
Your comment would find an appropriate place on "niacINsight" , I guess :
http://niacblog.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/iran-at-a-crossroads/#comments
Yeah, right underneath the one by Pirouz :-)
Catherine
We have to ask Leveretts, how much were they paid ! american administration has to do this investigation asking all the foreign banks; obviously, if their money is in China, it won't be possible !
After reading this Washington Post article from 5 March, I think the Chinese would be more than willing to allow the US administration to investigate any assets the Leveretts might have in Chinese banks.
The Obama administration is pushing to make an EXEMPTION for China (and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council) from legislation in the US Congress that would tighten sanctions on companies doing business in Iran. HARD TO BELIEVE?
Nope: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/04/AR2010030404735.html
"advocating a preemptive strike, to analysts who say the Green Movement is just a fad"
This sentence is in the text of NIAC ! (sent by Publicola); really, there is never a compliment about Green Movement for what they have done on the path of democracy; at the just beginning of the movement, Parsi wrote, "the end of the beginning" ! and now in the sentence above two negatif statements :
1-Either "war" !
2- or GM is just a fad !
I am so surprised, that an organisation that claims defending Human Rights, has never, never and NEVER a good and kind word for a movement fighting for HR and the freedom of an oppressed people living in the Hell ! never a word to encourage them to continue ! or never GM will win !
Now you are going to see all the responses of Parsi 's fellows ( I don't dare to say army!) to my comment !
Scott, please, be careful in Washington !
"the Leveretts"; "niacINsight"
When recommending in Nr. 11 to Catherine to imagine her comment-posting Nr. 10 onto the "niacINsight"-commentary-section, I was having in mind the comment-posting by "Pirouz" who was/is eulogizing the Leveretts for their convincing realism, whereas Catherine's comment here on EA is not exactly praising them. To envisage that constrast made me laugh/smile.
The main text of the respective article on "niacINsight" is just a listing of the - restricted, narrow - gamut of reactions on the part of the political scene in the USA [implicitly criiticizing it for being that limited]. Following "niacINsight" for some weeks, I have to say that they (always have) support(ed) the Green movement wholeheartedly - at least as far as I can judge with my limited mental capacities.
Thus sincere apologies on my part for not being clear and unambiguous enough when imagining/making my (ironic) suggestion (comment-posting Nr. 11).
Publicola
You were clear and I have understood what you have said above, don't worry . :-)
I was(and am) unconfortable with that " sentence", as I was with an article called "the end of the beginning" !
Thanks, ange paris, for your clarification!
[[I was already fearing one or two sleepless nights
having a bad conscience due to expressing myself thoughtlessly]]
I am outraged and thoroughly disgusted by the these propaganda photograhs put out by the Goebbel propaganda machine of the fascist/clerical/totalitarian IRI. Showing ordinary people shopping and getting ready for the big celebration when we all know that everyone in Iran is miserable and plotting in secret to overthrow the fascist/clerical/totalitarian system.
Look at how they've threatened parents so that their children will pretend to look happy as they try on their little, adorable shoes. This is nothing more than the 22 Bahman propaganda fiasco writ small and it can only come from the distorted and corrupted brains of these Nazi Mullahs.
Fortunately activists are working on Google pictures that will show that the stores and makets are really empty except for those who were brought in by buses from the outside and not surprisingly MANY OF THE SHOPPERS SPOKE WITH ARABIC ACCENTS!!!
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1047286
http://www.mehrnews.com/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=1047274
Hey! - I posted a link to those photos last Friday already - and even then they were a day old:
http://enduringamerica.com/2010/03/05/the-latest-from-iran-5-march-re-aligning/comment-page-1/#comment-30424
Get with it man. We need new material because your jokes are getting a tad stale. Try and do something with these: http://www.payvand.com/news/10/mar/1045.html
Actually, that last paragraph made me laugh :-)
Catherine
:-)
Publicola
You have always very wise and sensible comments and we learn a lot on culture .
Samuel
Reading your comment, I was surprised saying to myself "what a change" ; it was a joke :-( !
NIAC, Trita Parsi are well known Islamic Republic regime LOBBY arm in the US.
Muhammad Sahimi (NIOC chair USC) is a regime apologist and agent provocateur, known for divisive articles by the regime opposition.
They should have included Leveretts and then the party would have been in full swing!
Why not invite a few Mullahs and the regime executioners and torturers?
Are these the type of people that US listens to in order to decide policy?!
@Catherine,
Thank you for the additional pictures. It's been confirmed that those people in you pictures were brought over from Dahiyeh in Lebanon and Sadr city in Baghdad.
How very diabolical of this regime. Up to now they've only imported young Hizbollah thugs like these:
http://www.qlineorientalist.com/IranRises/category/lebanese-hezbollah/
I can understand that since no Iranians are willing to support, much less fight for these crimininals in power. My sources estimate that there are really only 5,000 Basij in the country and only 3% of these are Iranians.
Now I see that they are bringing in ladies of a certain advanced age. (It goes without saying that I have nothing against ladies of advanced age). What could these Mullahs be up to???
By the way those Lebanese Hizbollah mercenaries look very well fed while the Iranian people starve.
ad ange paris:
thank you so much for your kind words,
though I am definitely not worthy of your appreciative remarks !!
ad Samuel,
life goes on, be it in a democracy, be it in a more authoritarian system, be it under a dictatorship, be it in a fascist system (Italy in the 30s/40s), be it in a Nazi system (but here with the exclusion of a not insignificant part of the population!);
people have their usual needs, wants and desires, be they of a daily, weekly or yearly nature;
people go shopping, try to follow their - non-political - interests, have friends, marry or not, celebrate birthdays or not, even eat and drink
So what?
[an aside:
not knowing if you are Iranian or not -
in case you are Iranian,
you appear to be
the only intelligent and intellectual Iranian human being
- to a limited extent possibly even able to be self-critical and to laugh about yourself ? -
that supports the dubiously legitimized and self-destructively behaving Iranian government,
(all?) other - somehow to be labelled as - intelligent supporters [if there are any, that is] seem to be in absolute hiding
[thus at least my definite impression when reading government-supportive comments on PressTV online]
probably in order not to engender and provoke intellectual envy
or
in order not to make everyone else ashamed not to be up to their, i.e. those unknown others', mental, intellectual and spiritual level.
Whatever may be the case,
thus my personal impression is profoundly confirmed,
- as my subjective experience also inexorably forces me to assume -
that too frequently and to a too large extent unreasonableness and stupidity rule - possibly the world.]
Best wishes [to all commentators]