Conservatives

Republicans Continue Politicizing Iran Negotiations, Offer No Constructive Alternative March 16, 2015 Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-AR) letter, signed by 46 of his Senate Republican colleagues and Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), continued to roil the debate over the Iran nuclear negotiations this weekend. The letter, which was addressed to Iran’s leadership and condescendingly (and inaccurately) described the U.S. system of government, has been condemned as a reckless and juvenile political stunt. It has further politicized the already partisan debate at a critical moment, as P5+1 diplomats resume talks this week with Iranian negotiators in the hopes of reaching a political framework agreement. Sen. Cotton has stated that his goal is to collapse the talks, but even those who have said that they would like to play… Read More ›

Sen. Cotton’s Reckless Iran Letter: Wrong on Facts, Disingenuous in Intent March 9, 2015 While U.S. negotiators and their P5+1 colleagues prepare to enter a new round of talks over Iran’s nuclear program in Switzerland next weekend, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) released today the text of an open letter to the Iranian government signed by himself and 46 Republican senators. The pedantic letter begins by noting that Iran’s leadership “may not fully understand our constitutional system” before a discussion of treaty ratification and term limits. “[W]e will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke… Read More ›

Conservatives Rush to Derail Iran Talks After Netanyahu’s Misleading Speech March 4, 2015 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech laid out Israel’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear program – a concern shared by Congress and the Obama Administration. But while it succeeded in cynically pandering to his home constituency – after the speech, members of Congress called it a “campaign pep rally” and “straight out of the Dick Cheney playbook” – it failed to present a feasible alternative to the Administration’s diplomatic initiative. Instead, the Prime Minister made clear that he misunderstands what sanctions and negotiations can achieve, and what the consequences of these talks could be. Now, Congress is fast-tracking a bill that could scuttle the talks. As this increasingly partisan legislation is rushed to… Read More ›

Science Over Snowballs: Climate Competence of America’s Leaders is a National Security Issue February 27, 2015 This week, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) took to the Senate floor with a snowball as a prop as part of an argument against the scientific consensus that global climate change is real and that the Earth’s average surface temperature has been increasing rapidly since the industrial revolution. It may be tempting to dismiss the significance of right-wing climate antics as simply misguided. But Sen. Inhofe, who serves as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, exemplifies the danger of denying climate science given the severe implications that climate change poses to American national security and global stability, as NSN has detailed before. Because of the… Read More ›

Iran Hawks’ Rush to Pass Legislation Imperils Nuclear Deal February 13, 2015 As P5+1 and Iranian diplomats continue to work toward an agreement to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is pushing forward with legislation that could scuttle the talks. Sen. Corker’s bill, which would subject any final deal to an up-or-down vote in Congress, could be considered as soon as the end of this month. Passing this legislation while negotiators are making considerable progress toward a comprehensive deal would signal to Iranian negotiators that the United States will not be able to carry out its commitments under an agreement and would delay the implementation of any agreement. Congress will have a serious role in any nuclear deal with Iran –… Read More ›

More Legislative Threats to Iran Negotiations Loom Sen. Robert Menendez’s (D-NJ) decision yesterday to postpone voting on a new sanctions bill that would have disrupted U.S. negotiations with Iran was a strong step to preserve the diplomatic process to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The bill, which is still scheduled to go through mark-up tomorrow, is opposed by U.S. negotiating partners because it would push Iran away from the talks and jeopardize the international coalition that has enforced sanctions so far. While postponing a vote is good news for diplomacy, it only defers what will continue to be a threat to undo the negotiations, and other congressional proposals require urgent attention. Congress should focus on constructive legislation that reinforces U.S. negotiators’ work rather… Read More ›

Conservatives Use False Claims to Justify New Gitmo Bill This week, as the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay enters its 13th year of operation, Senate conservatives proposed new legislation that would prevent the transfer of any of the remaining detainees for the next two years, stymieing progress towards its closure. The bill’s sponsors – Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – have said the bill is a response to concerns that repatriated detainees could turn to terrorism once released, but this fear is misplaced and based on inaccurate representations of the data on recidivism rates of former detainees. The much greater risk comes from allowing the detention facility to remain open. Politicians from both sides… Read More ›

What We Know – and What We Don’t – About the Paris Attacks As the world gathers to demonstrate its resilience in the face of last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris and its commitment to the freedom of expression, European and U.S. policymakers are beginning to respond. Foreign leaders from around the world gathered in Paris for a symbolic march, and U.S. policymakers are pressing forward with practical counterterrorism efforts, including a summit next month to address the threat of terrorism and radicalization. Reports are beginning to illuminate who the terrorists were and how the tragedy occurred. These reports suggest that the attacks were acts of domestic terrorism perpetrated by individuals radicalized in France. The terrorists appear to have been affiliated in some way with… Read More ›

Today’s release of a video of Governor Romney speaking openly and forcefully about a number of foreign policy issues at a private fundraiser heightens two concerns raised by security leaders from both parties: that Romney’s views are extreme and out of step with experts and the public, and that he seems to lack the seriousness required for the role of commander in chief. IRAN: Romney: Iran is a “crazed fanatic”; fears use of dirty bomb from highly enriched uranium. Romney says: “If I were Iran, if I were Iran—a crazed fanatic, I’d say let’s get a little fissile material to Hezbollah, have them carry it to Chicago or some other place, and then if anything goes wrong, or America starts acting up, we’ll just say,… Read More ›

This week the presidential campaign returns to foreign policy, as both President Obama and Governor Romney speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Romney travels to the London Olympics, Israel and Poland. As Romney visits former colleagues and holds fund-raisers, Americans will be listening for the coherent worldview and specific policy alternatives that partisan and non-partisan observers alike have found lacking to date.  Specific positions Romney has taken, such as opposing the drawdown timetable in Afghanistan, the ratification of the New START treaty, or labeling Russia as America’s number one geopolitical foe, have drawn concern from national security leaders in the U.S. and our European allies, asking whether they represent a return to failed Bush-Cheney policies. As Romney and his party work to define… Read More ›