“A New Approach to US Iran Policy: A Response to the Failure of Engagement”
The DLA Piper’s “A New Approach to US Iran Policy: A Response to the Failure of Engagement” report, published in 2006, objectively examines the threat that Iran poses to the United States and evaluates various policy alternatives for a prospective response. The book concludes that “a response which has significant potential is the adoption of a policy of regime change through active support for organizations that advocate for democracy in Iran. There are a number of these organizations but one of the groups is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).”
The report explores the contradiction between the MEK’s designation as an FTO and the strong international support the group has attracted, the report compiles and analyzes publicly available materials and to assess whether the FTO designation is valid and should be maintained.
“As a result of our analysis, we believe there are ample grounds to conclude that the MEK and a broader coalition of organizations of which the MEK is a part, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), should be removed from the US list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” the authors conclude.
“An Analysis of US Engagement with Iran (1977-2007)”
The DAL Piper’s “An Analysis of US Engagement with Iran (1977-2007)” assesses the historical record of more than twenty-five years of U.S. constructive engagement with Iran, spanning the period from the onset of the Islamic revolution of 1979 until the present.
The study traverses the U.S. Presidential terms of our modern chief executives – from President Jimmy Carter to President George W. Bush. The paper concludes that there has been a consistent pattern of failed diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Republic to assure the fulfillment of vital U.S. security objectives. The analysis reveals that U.S. policies have been ambivalent, disjointed, often contradictory, and primarily in response to the aggressive moves by Tehran as it pursues nuclear weapons, sponsors global terrorism, violates human rights, and takes hostages.
The DLA Piper study shows that over the years, Western countries have responded to illusory perceptions of Iranian moderation, often at the expense of cracking down on the MEK, and opened their doors to trade and arms sales with Iran. For the past twenty-five years, the constructive engagement approach has not produced meaningful results and Iran’s threat to the world has only grown.
As such, new approaches that are designed to support the democratic opposition groups in Iran and reach out to freedom-loving Iranians need greater attention if the West is to overcome the regime’s historic and steadfast resistance to diplomatic overtures and economic pressures. There are a number of these democratic opposition organizations, but one of the groups particularly targeted by the Iranian regime is the Mujahedin-e Khalq (“MEK”) and there are ample grounds to remove the MEK and a broader coalition of organizations of which the MEK is a member, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (“NCRI”), from the list of FTOs.