|
Hands Off Iran
Holds Emergency Summit to Prevent War with
Iran
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: hoi-contact at hands off iran dot org
San
Francisco, CA. March 10, 2007 -- Hands Off Iran today held the
Emergency Summit to Prevent War with Iran
at UC Berkeley.
Attending the day-long summit
at a mere 2 weeks’ notice,
were 120 activists and representatives from 40 diverse
organizations,
including many Iranian-American groups. Leaving little
doubt about the seriousness
with which the attending organizations take the escalating situation between the
United States and Iran,
the
overwhelming response to the call for the summit exceeded the organizers’
expectations.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee expressed her support for the summit by issuing an
official statement,
but could not personally attend due to a conflict of schedule.
The
primary goal of the summit was to determine how the numerous organizations
already active with regards to the looming war with Iran can work together more
effectively to prevent a war. A number of workgroups were formed at the summit
to work towards that goal going forward.
Shahram
Aghamir introduced author, reporter, and radio commentator
Larry
Everest as the first of three
speakers for
the morning session. Everest opened by saying while the title of the summit
correctly reflected the fact that we are indeed facing an emergency situation,
the deafening silence in the media and in public discussion about this issue is
truly alarming. Everest commented that there are many people who dismiss the
idea that the U.S., or the U.S. and Israel, will soon attack Iran because people
are generally unaware of the extent of U.S. war preparations that have already
been made, and do not understand the geopolitical logic as to why the U.S. would
want to attack Iran.
Regarding the geopolitical logic of a U.S. attack on Iran, Everest said the U.S.
is trying to exert hegemonic control over the world’s dwindling energy
resources, which requires preventing any challenges to its authority in the
Middle East.
Everest
suggested that the Democratic Party has consistently caved in to Bush’s demands,
and feared that it will continue to do so, concluding that it remains up to the
American people to repudiate the Bush agenda and return the country to sanity.
The
second speaker
was author and UC Berkeley Political Science professor
Dr.
Dariush Zahedi, who opened by saying that the problems between the U.S. and
Iran won’t be solved by the departure of the Bush administration. Regarding
Iran's quest for nuclear power, Zahedi said Iran, which relies on the sale of
oil for eighty percent of its revenue, will soon cease to be a net exporter of
oil due to high population growth and increased industry - hence the need for
nuclear power.
Zahedi
noted that Iran is in a region where many other states, such as Israel, the
U.S., and Pakistan, with which Iran has had strained relations, already possess
nuclear weapons. He predicted that, if attacked, Iran would stage a massive
retaliation in response, saying such an attack would ignite Muslim rage
throughout the world. Zahedi stressed that a U.S. attack on Iran would also
severely undermine Iran's indigenous democracy movement.
Perhaps
the most important whistle-blower of the past half century,
Daniel Ellsberg,
whose leaking of
Pentagon documents helped end the Vietnam war, followed Zahedi as the
third speaker
of the morning session. Ellsberg opened by saying that the next few weeks
present a period of both danger and opportunity, where it was important for the
American public to support efforts to cut off funding for a potential war with
Iran, and to support legislation requiring the President to seek congressional
approval before launching an attack. Ellsberg stated his belief that a war on
Iran could be prevented, provided people act now, and continue to act over the
next two years.
Ellsberg thought the potential for a war on Iran was about 70%, but that the
likelihood of an attack could be reduced significantly if people took action now
to prevent a war. He cautioned that a U.S. attack on Iran would likely result in
a serious erosion of the Bill of Rights, and large-scale detention camps for
people of Middle Eastern origin.
Opening the afternoon
session, San Francisco Supervisor
Ross
Mirkarimi greeted the audience in Persian on the occasion of the Iranian new
year that begins on the Vernal Equinox. Mirkarimi, who is the first
Iranian-American elected to office in San Francisco, said the people of the
United States and Iran have had warm relations for many generations, and do not
want a war between the two countries. He stressed the need for grassroots,
citizen diplomacy to prevent a war, in the same way that it had helped end the
Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union.
Commenting on the difficulties that legislatures face in providing funding for
services such as housing, health care, and the infrastructure, Mirkarimi said
the illegal actions of the U.S. government in Iraq has diverted billions of
dollars away from local services, and asked the public to demand their local
officials take a stand on foreign policy issues.
Referring to the organizers of the summit, who anticipate impending hostilities
and are working to prevent them, Mirkarimi said their efforts could not have
come at a better time. He feared that the standoff between the U.S. and Iran has
set the stage for an accident to happen, and once hostilities flare, the chances
are they would escalate.
One of the main features of
the afternoon session was a panel discussion with participants from some of the
organizations attending the summit.
Sepideh Koosha
opened the panel discussion by
introducing
Dr. Susan Strong, who currently works with the
Metaphor Project, a
resource for progressive activists who want to learn more about effective
rhetoric. Dr. Strong recommended activists construct talking points in a
positive, problem-solving story form that would reinforce positive American
values, and use language which gets the audience to pause and pay attention. In
this regard, she recommended using the success of diplomacy in the case of Lybia
and North Korea as a positive example of how dialogue can lead to conflict
resolution, suggesting activists frame dialogue with Iran as the "Cool
It option" in the current standoff. Dr Strong, who taught literature,
communication, and contemporary issues for more than a decade at U.C. Berkeley’s
Rhetoric Department and St. Mary’s College, suggested another positive talking
point was the
indigenous movement that is currently
working for democracy and universal rights in Iran.
The second
afternoon speaker was Jim Haber of the
War Resisters League and
Jewish Voice For
Peace. Describing himself as an anarchist who does not support the notion of
nation states, Haber said he nonetheless supports international law and
international treaties in setting limits on nations. Haber encouraged activists
to use the frame the law is good, and
stress on the requirements of international law. He referred to the hypocrisy of
the United States in violating the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), while falsely accusing Iran of being
a nuclear outlaw. He said the United States is building a new Hydrogen bomb,
called the Reliable Replacement Warhead,
as part of the policy of Stockpile Stewardship.
Haber recommended Western States Legal Foundation as a resource that monitors
and analyzes U.S. nuclear weapons programs and policies.
When talking
to Jewish audiences, Haber suggested talking about the value of the
Nuremberg Principles in finding connections with contemporary
Crimes Against Humanity and
War Crimes.
In this regard, Haber recommended Jewish Voice for Peace as a valuable resource.
The third
afternoon speaker was Judy Pope of the
Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club of Alameda County. Describing herself as
at times appalled by the actions of Democrats, Pope stressed Democrats were
nonetheless the best avenue for achieving progressive goals. She said
Democratic clubs, which vary widely in goals and methods, can be ways to
influence local legislators. Pope said Wellstone DRC is currently supporting
H.R.508, sponsored by Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), to get the troops
out of Iraq expeditiously. H.R.508, Bring the
Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007, currently has
49 cosponsors in the House of Representatives.
The fourth afternoon speaker was Stephen McNeil of
American Friends Service Committee. He
stated that activist leaders have historically not been effective, citing the
march against nuclear weapons in 1982 which did not prevail. McNeil commented
that neither the truth, nor marching, nor the desire to be good is enough to
change peoples' opinions. Instead, he recommended trying to tell a story,
choosing your words carefully. McNeil suggested that if you are perceived as
being too far Left, people stop listening.
|
