Do sanctions work against Iran?

July 31, 2009

While the Obama administration has pursued diplomatic efforts to halt Tehran’s uranium enrichment program, Congress has pressed the U.S. President to step up new economic sanctions against Iran. “Now it is our job to arm our president with a comprehensive set of tough sanctions designed to ratchet up pressure on the regime,” said Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.

On July 30, the committee held a hearing on  “Minimizing Potential Threats from Iran: Assessing Economic Sanctions and Other U.S. Policy Options.” Senate legislation, which would target the country’s refined petroleum imports, now has 71 co-sponsors. The bill mirrors a proposal in the House that has more than half the chamber’s members already signed on as co-sponsors.

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Posted by Fatemeh Darabi

Civilian Deaths Continue to Increase in Afghanistan

July 31, 2009
Source: UNAMA

Source: UNAMA

A newly released UN report notes that civilian deaths in Afghanistan continue to increase.  According to a BBC article highlighting the report, the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan “so far this year has risen by 24% compared with the same period last year.”  During the first six months of this year “[m]ore than 1,000 people were killed.”

Although the UN report attributes the majority of deaths to insurgent groups, it notes that government-allied forces were responsble for two-thirds of the casualties.   The large number of civilian deaths resulting from airstrikes continues to be troubling.  The new commander of both US and NATO troops in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley MacChrystal, declared in June that minimizing civilian casualties must be a priority.   The number of deaths, however,  has yet to decrease.  In fact, the report warns that the number of civilian deaths will likely continue rising in light of the upcoming elections and the U.S. troop increase.

More needs to be done to reduce the number of Afghan civilians killed.  The high number of civilian deaths only increases the level of insecurity and does little to “win the hearts and minds” of the Afghan people.

Click here to read the BBC News article on the UN report.

Leave a Comment » | Asia, Militarism, News Stories | Permalink
Posted by Meara Dietrick

Health Care Reform Update

July 31, 2009

AbundantLife_mark_WEBThe on-again, off-again, on-again negotiations on health care reform proposals in the House and the Senate continued at a dizzying pace this week. For those of you following the ping-pong match, here is the latest…

In the House:

After repeated starts and stops, the Democratic leadership, the Blue Dogs (conservative Democrats), and the Progressive Caucus reached an agreement that allowed debate to continue in the Energy & Commerce committee on Thursday. This is the last of three committees to mark up the legislation before it goes to the full House. Some of the compromises made reportedly include:

  • Total cost below $1 trillion
  • No fix for Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors
  • Restrictions on how a government-sponsored plan can negotiate rates
  • Nonprofit cooperatives alongside a public option (government plan)
  • States can run their own insurance exchanges
  • Small businesses with payroll under $500,000 are exempt from employer mandate
  • No individual mandate

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Abundant Life, Health Care, Legislative Updates | Permalink
Posted by Tammy Alexander

A new, difficult era for the Islamic Republic of Iran ,

July 30, 2009

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be officially approved as the next Iranian president on August 3. In a ceremony to be attended by high-ranking officials on Monday, Ahmadinejad will be officially endorsed by Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, as the 10th Iranian president since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Ahmadinejad will have two weeks after his inauguration to nominate potential cabinet members to the Parliament (Majles) for a vote of confidence.

In a disputed election on June 12, Ahmadinejad garnered two-thirds of the vote. Ahmadinejad’s victory has been disputed by Iranian supporters of the Reformist candidates, Mousavi and Karrubi, who have rejected the result as fraudulent. Over the last several days, the post-election conflict increased when Ahmadinejad dismissed his Intelligence Minister, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehei, perceived to be close to Khamenei, after a week of tension with the Supreme Leader over his choice of vice president.

Now, we must wait and see how the new Iranian president approaches the dilemma of “illegitimacy” in the internal and international context, while his government is critically being challenged by many issues, including economic recession in Iran.

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Posted by Fatemeh Darabi

U.S. Is Waiting for Iranian Response

July 28, 2009

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday, July 23 that the U.S. is still waiting for the Iranian government to respond to its offer of talks despite the post-election developments in Iran.  Although she said that Washington seeks to engage Tehran, she stressed that Iran “does not have any capacity to make that kind of decision right now.”  These words indicate that the U.S. administration has not received any official response from Tehran to initiate negotiations yet.

Secretary Clinton and President Obama continue to seek direct dialogue with Iran, although they have strongly condemned the recent violence against protesters there.

In the June 12 presidential election in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won with nearly two-thirds of the vote. Ahmadinejad’s rivals — Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi – have rejected the vote result as fraudulent and refused to acknowledge the Iranian president’s victory.

Fatemeh Darabi is a short-term Iran Fellow in the MCC Washington Office.

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Posted by Fatemeh Darabi

Month of Action for Immigration Reform

July 27, 2009

documentation

The Interfaith Immigration Coalition, which includes the MCC Washington Office, is encouraging congregations to participate in activities during the Month of Action for Immigration Reform this August and September. These activities are a way for churches to encourage local dialogue about immigration and to send a message of support for comprehensive immigration reform to members of Congress.

Join churches throughout the country by hosting a prayer vigil, planning a Neighbor to Neighbor in-district meeting with your representative, or collaborating with other congregations to host a Breaking Bread and Barriers potluck/town hall event. Invite your Member of Congress to come so they can share their stance on comprehensive immigration reform, answer questions, and so the community can highlight the positive contributions of immigrants. For more information and resources, visit the Interfaith Immigration Coalition website.

Leave a Comment » | Events, Immigration, Issues | Permalink
Posted by dfoxvog

Health Care Reform Update

July 24, 2009

AbundantLife_mark_WEBThere have been several major developments in health care reform this week. In the Senate, a full vote on health care legislation is now expected no earlier than September. From today’s Washington Post:

The comments by Reid (D-Nev.) confirmed the growing consensus on Capitol Hill that the White House’s fast-track approach has failed, and that a more plodding and contentious process has taken hold. Not only would the Senate not meet Obama’s timeline for passing a bill, but across the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was struggling to quell an uprising by conservative Democrats that had brought House action to a near halt.

The Senate Finance committee has yet to put forward a bill. A small, bi-partisan group of Finance committee members is working to draft the legislation. Among the items reportedly still being debated by that group are the inclusion of nonprofit insurance “cooperatives” rather than a public, government-run insurance option; the expansion of Medicaid to cover more of the uninsured; wellness and prevention initiatives; and, of course, cost.

In the House, debate has stalled in the Energy and Commerce committee over cost issues raised by a group of fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats. It is now looking more likely that the full House vote will also slip into September.

Read summaries of the Senate HELP committee and House bills.

For worship and advocacy resources on health care reform, visit the Abundant Life campaign page.

Leave a Comment » | Abundant Life, Health Care, Issues, Legislative Updates, News Stories, Office Campaigns | Permalink
Posted by Tammy Alexander

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