An update on arms control, national security & politics from Council for a Livable World and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
WHAT’S NEW:
In a rare national media consensus, news outlets across the country unanimously derided the 47 Republican Senators’ “open letter” to Iran as an outrageous stunt that undermined both the president and U.S. national security. To amplify these messages, we gave our supporters the chance to write a letter to the editor of their local newspaper. It’s not too late to write a letter of your own. Click here to get started.
2 Million and Counting
Over the past few weeks, our supporters have gone above and beyond supporting our work to protect diplomacy with Iran. Together within our broader coalition of peace and arms control groups, our activists have taken over 2 million grassroots actions on this issue.
We want to keep going, but a lot of hours go into writing and organizing our grassroots advocacy efforts, meeting and coordinating with our partners, and reporting back on our victories. We’re on target to meet our March fundraising goal of $25,000. Will you help us meet our goal with a contribution to the Council and Center?
Lincoln and Alice Day are not just Board Members and long time supporters of the Council and Center; they’re also successful filmmakers. The Days, who are regulars at the D.C.-based Environmental Film Festival, will debut five short films combining two unique passions of theirs: the effects of war on the environment. Be sure to read their recent feature in a Washington Post article.
Mr. Terryn Goes to STRATCOM
Last week, our resident Scoville Fellow Greg Terryn was selected to present at US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska as part of the Center for Strategic International Studies “Project on Nuclear Issues Capstone Conference.” Terryn spoke on the potential for reductions to the nuclear arsenal, stressing the importance of adhering to our arms control and non-proliferation commitments while continuing to search for new ways to negotiate with Russia.
READ:
The Demise of American Foreign Policy
“If our foreign policy is seen as equally as partisan and dysfunctional as our domestic policy has become, the U.S. position in the international community will be seriously wounded,” writes Council Board Member Col. Dick Klass for The Hill’s Congress blog in reference to GOP’s disrespectful actions of the week. Click to read the rest of the Colonel’s piece.
50 Organizations Send Letter to the Senate
This week, Council for a Livable World signed onto a joint letter representing over 50 organizations supporting diplomacy with Iran. The letter was addressed to the U.S. Senate and urged them to reject the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, a bill that is guaranteed to put the negotiations at risk. Read the full letter on our website.
Click to read the latest in a series of periodic updates on key congressional elections by our esteemed Senior Fellow John Isaacs.
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Turns 45
2015 marks the 45th anniversary of the landmark Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and, just like any mid-life crisis, it merits a moment of pause to review the treaty’s past success and future challenges. Policy Intern Aman Shareef writes for the Nukes of Hazard blog, “While the progress is slow, it is not an excuse to abandon a treaty that has served the world so well for so long.”
With terms like sequestration, budget caps, and the Budget Control Act being thrown around seemingly interchangeably, Sarah Tully seeks to clarify as Congress moves forward to appropriate funds for the Pentagon’s budget. Read her latest post on the Nukes of Hazard blog as she sets the record straight on all things budget.
During the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress last week, nothing better reflected the spectrum of American opinion than the ever-active Twitter-sphere. The Center’s Research Associate Sarah Tully collected some of the best of the tweets out there for your reading pleasure in the Nukes of Hazard Blog. Click here for the list.
Unlike every other federal agency, the Department of Defense has never undergone an audit. Hopefully, that is soon to change, as Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) has just introduced a new House bill known as the “Audit the Pentagon Act of 2015,” and Senator Manchin (D-W.Va) has a bill of the same name in the Senate. Read more from Angela Canterbury and Aman Shareef on the Nukes of Hazard Blog.
Netanyahu Wants to See the Unicorns
To no one’s surprise, in his speech to Congress Benjamin Netanyahu lobbied aggressively against a still-unfinished deal between Iran and the world powers and, instead, simply demanded a better one. Sarah Tully writes for the Nukes of Hazard Blog why Netanyahu’s “better deal” is about as realistic as a unicorn.
The letter that 47 Republicans signed and sent to Iranian leadership this past week has all but guaranteed that partisan vitriol is sure to continue–if, until, and even after a deal is inked. On the Council blog, Senior Fellow John Isaacs discusses what has now become a short history of partisan antics surrounding the Iran talks and their implications for diplomacy. Read it here.
WATCH:
Take Three: Laicie on “The Ed Show”
The Center’s Policy Director, Laicie Heeley, is becoming a regular on MSNBC’s “The Ed Show.” In her most recent appearance, she discussed the Islamic State’s recent alliance with Boko Haram. Click here to watch her on “The Ed Show.”
MORE FROM OUR RESEARCH CENTER:
As Center Advisory Board Member Ed Levine’s outlines in his most recent analysis, the Iran Nuclear Review Act of 2015, sponsored by Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), is sure to produce “More Harm than Good.” Click here for the executive summary, or here for the full analysis.
