Last month, NIAC Research Fellow Assal Rad sat down to have a conversation with world-renowned linguist and activist Professor Noam Chomsky at the University of Arizona.
An email from NIAC

 NIAC in Convo with Noam Chomsky 

#ICYMI: NIAC in Conversation with Professor Noam Chomsky 
Last month, NIAC Research Fellow Assal Rad sat down to have a conversation with world-renowned linguist and activist Professor Noam Chomsky at the University of Arizona. With decades of experience as an anti-war activist, Professor Chomsky has become one of the most preeminent political philosophers of the modern age. Chomsky offers not only human and moral arguments critical of U.S. foreign policy, but also a well-reasoned approach based on analysis of a long history and consequences of said policies.
 
While the discussion focused on U.S. foreign policy, endless wars, and the Middle East in order to paint a clearer picture of U.S.-Iran relations, the conversation also looked at a possible path forward. The first question raised was about 2020 elections, and their significance as compared to elections of the past. Professor Chomsky stunningly stated that this election will be “the most important election in human history.”

🎥  Check out the highlight reel & summary of the discussion here > 

🎥  Watch the full video of the event here >

 

 Building Political Power 

 

We want to know where our members stand — and we want to make sure the candidates know too. That’s why NIAC Action is excited to present our 2020 Democratic primary straw poll!

Here's how it works: choose the candidate of your choice and then select a contribution amount. Every contribution will be counted and donated to your candidate via NIAC Action PAC. To vote, just click on your candidate of choice to be sent to their unique donation page. Cast your vote in our straw poll today! We’ll announce the results — both vote totals and contribution amounts — on March 3 in time for Super Tuesday.

🗳️ Vote in NIAC's 2020 Democratic Primary Straw Poll here >

 
 

There are many other issues important to the Iranian-American community and pro-peace allies that NIAC Action would like to see Presidential contenders weigh in on, some of which we have directly encouraged the campaigns to comment on.
 
NIAC Action reached out to all the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidates to see where they stand on the issues that matter to the Iranian-American community most and to urge them to make two key commitments: to return the U.S. into compliance with the Iran nuclear agreement and to repeal the Muslim Ban. 

We've compiled their answers in our new Presidential Tracker, which also includes some of the top tweets from candidates of interest to our community, including tweets condemning Iran’s brutal November crackdown on protesters; warnings against a march to war; condemnations of President Trump’s threat to target Iranian cultural sites; and responses to the deportations of Iranian students and harassment of Iranian Americans at the border.

🗳️ Check out our Presidential Tracker here >

 


 Advancing Peace & Diplomacy 
 
 
Peace prevailed last week when the Senate passed a resolution to halt Trump's march to war with Iran. This was no easy task, coming in a Republican-controlled chamber just weeks after we moved to the brink of war. Luckily, Sen. Tim Kaine tirelessly worked across the aisle to build support for a resolution that makes clear President Trump cannot take us to war with Iran without Congressional authorization.

But our work doesn't stop here. In the weeks ahead, we hope to send a war powers resolution to the President’s desk. But to keep up the momentum, we need you to keep contacting your legislators. 

📌 Take action to support Sen. Kaine’s war powers resolution here  >

 
 
We know the true impact of sanctions – many of us hear from our friends and family who are struggling as a direct result of the sanctions. Food and life-saving medicine are increasingly difficult to come by. The Trump administration has abused the use of sanctions, using them as a tool to strangle the Iranian people and undermine any path to diplomacy. But Congress can step in and put a check to these abuses. 

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has introduced the “Congressional Oversight of Sanctions Act,” mandating greater Congressional oversight to sanctions to protect against harm to civilian populations. Take action today to ask your representative to support the act today.

📌 Support the Congressional Oversight of Sanctions Act here >

 Securing Equitable Immigration 

 

For months, the Iranian-American community has come together to say NO to the Muslim ban, and our officials are finally taking action. In its first affirmative action to end the Muslim ban, the Judiciary Committee debated the NO BAN Act last week, before moving it forward. 

The NO BAN act is likely to receive a vote on the House floor in the weeks ahead, where we expect it will pass. And while Republicans on the committee tried to defend the President’s ban and water down the legislation. Democrats were able to defeat their proposed amendments and move the legislation forward.

This is a major step in our campaign to end the Muslim ban, which continues to keep tens of thousands of Iranian-American families apart--but to pass the NO BAN Act out of the House of Representatives, we must keep the pressure on. Write your legislators today and ask them to support the NO BAN Act!

🚨 Take action! Urge your legislators to pass the NO BAN Act here >

📰 Read Policy Director Ryan Costello's article about the act here >

📰 Read more about Trump's recent expansion of the Muslim ban here >

 

Since tensions between the U.S. and Iran ratcheted up this year, we've received reports that hundreds of Iranian Americans and green card holders were held by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) for secondary questioning at ports of entry and airports solely because of their Iranian heritage.
 
CBP initially lied that it had issued an order mandating screenings of individuals of Iranian heritage, but the discriminatory order has since been leaked.

CBP has also deported dozens of Iranian students with valid visas. The deportations are tremendously harmful to the prospective students, who have quit jobs, said goodbye to family and spent their life savings in some cases on airfare and housing to study in their dream program.
 
Given the outrageous lies from CBP as well as its track record under this administration, Congressional intervention is necessary. NIAC Action will continue to work closely with impacted individuals and our allies in Congress to remedy this systematic discrimination.

📌 Read our recommendations to Congress here >

 Community & Culture 

 
NIAC is overjoyed to be partnering with award-winning Iranian-American author Melody Moezzi to offer free copies of her newest book, The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life, to anyone who donates $25 or more to NIAC using this special link.
 
Those who donate $50 will receive a free copy signed by Melody, and a $100+ donation will also get you an invite to an exclusive event with Melody in Los Angeles, Washington DC, or San Francisco!
 
Addressing isolation, depression, anger, distraction, fear, and other everyday challenges we all face, the book offers a roadmap for living with intention and ease, and embracing love at every turn—despite our deeply divided and chaotic times.

📚 Donate and receive your free copy of The Rumi Prescription here >
 

 

 Spotlighting Human Rights in Iran 

It's been two years since the arrest and detention of nine Iranian environmentalists by Iranian authorities. The environmentalists, who were accused of “spying” after filming an endangered cheetah, have worked tirelessly on animal conservation in Iran and on bringing attention to critical issues of environmental concern. Iranian authorities have not provided any evidence to the public to justify these charges. At the height of protests in Iran and a brutal crackdown in November 2019, Iranian courts delivered harsh prison sentences to the environmentalists.

The importance of the environment and concerns over climate change have brought this case to the attention of prominent environmentalists and celebrities such as Jane Goodall and Leonardo DiCaprio. Despite these pleas and the human rights obligations to which they are bound, Iranian courts and authorities continue to disobey their human rights responsibilities. Environmentalists must not only be free to do their important work, they should also be celebrated for their commitment to safeguarding the planet.

📌 Read more from our Human Rights Tracker here >

📧 Subscribe to receive our Human Rights Tracker in your inbox >

 


 From Our Staff 

 
Could Trump and Iran Agree on a JCPOA 2.0?
NIAC President Jamal Abdi for The National Interest

"As policymakers grapple with both the hangover of a near-war with Iran and the implications of recent anti-government demonstrations by Iranians, 'standing with the Iranian people' is back in vogue in Washington.

It is also front of mind for many Iranian Americans who are cautiously relieved that the imminent threat of war seems to be on pause but who are still anxious about the plight of our families inside Iran. Fortunately, the best and most impactful way America can improve the lives of Iranians is simple: if the United States wants to help Iranians, we must return to the nuclear deal—or, if necessary, some Trump-branded version of it." 

📰 Read the full article here >
 

Iranian Americans in the age of Trump, the Travel Ban, and the Threat of War
NIAC Research Fellow Assal Rad for Responsible Statecraft

"I was born and raised in the United States to Iranian parents and, like many children of immigrants, grew up with a sense of alienation from my fellow Americans. Though raised in the most populace location of the Iranian diaspora in Southern California, my hyphenated identity seemed to be in conflict with itself as Iran was consistently vilified in U.S. media and politics. But rather than attempt to hide my identity, I became determined to move beyond the surface politics to understand more about Iran and, ultimately, to try to bridge the divide between my country of heritage and the country I call home. 

📰 Read the full article here >
 

Iranian Parliamentary Election Preview
NIAC Staff

On February 21st, Iranians will vote in the country’s 11th Parliamentary elections and elect all 290 members for the country’s legislative body. The votes will be cast at a time of great uncertainty and turmoil in Iran, with Iran’s economy under intense sanctions pressure, Iranians still reeling from a brutal government crackdown that left hundreds dead in November, the nation moving to the edge of war following the U.S. assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and public outrage over the shooting down of a civilian airliner that the government tried to cover up amid heightened tensions in January. These mounting crises appear to have weakened the moderate administration of incumbent President Hassan Rouhani and further delegitimized the system as a whole. 

📰 Read our full analysis here >

 We're Hiring! 

Apply to be Our Next Digital Organizer! 
NIAC is looking for a Digital Organizer to help lead NIAC’s digital advocacy efforts and digital engagement of volunteers. The Digital Organizer works with the National Organizing Director and senior leadership to devise and implement NIAC’s overarching digital advocacy strategy.

📌 Learn more here >

Now Accepting Internship Applications!
NIAC is now accepting internship applications to work with our team at our Washington, D.C. office. Interns work with NIAC staff on a host of activities, including advocacy, community outreach, and organizational administration.

📌 Learn more here > 
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