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A Deal with Iran


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United States And Other World Powers Reach Historic Understanding With Iran

After extending the self-imposed deadline by two days, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday announced that the United States and five other allies and partners has reached an agreement with Iran on the framework for a deal over its nuclear program. The issue has been at the center of several recent controversies, including Speaker Boehner’s decision to break longstanding protocol by inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress weeks before Israel’s elections, and the the choice by 47 GOP Senators to put partisanship over patriotism by writing a letter to Iran undermining the sensitive negotiations. Despite these actions, the decision reached yesterday represents an historic achievement for American diplomacy that makes the world safer by cutting off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.

Key details are set to be finalized over the coming months, but the outline of the agreement includes the following points:

  • The deal includes the most robust and intrusive inspections and transparency regime ever negotiated for any nuclear program in history. International inspectors will have unprecedented access not only to Iranian nuclear facilities, but to the entire supply chain that supports Iran’s nuclear program.
  • This will be a long-term deal that addresses each path to a potential Iranian nuclear bomb. There are strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program for a decade, and additional restrictions on building new facilities or stockpiling materials will last for 15 years. And as a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran will never be permitted to develop a nuclear weapon.
  • In return for Iran’s actions, the international community has agreed to provide Iran with relief from certain sanctions. But this relief will be phased in only as Iran takes meaningful states to adhere to the deal. Any violations mean sanctions will return as they were before.

This agreement has received wide praise, including from some unlikely sources. After hearing about the tentative deal, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly offered his opinion that “you give it a shot” because “you don’t want a war with Iran.”

Meanwhile, rather than trying to undercut any negotiations, Republicans in Congress should recognize that the legislative branch has an important role to play as the enforcer of the agreement. Congress should establish a mechanism to ensure that Iranian backsliding on a deal would snap sanctions back in place, as legislation from Senators Barbary Boxer (D-CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) would do. What Congress should not do is act as a cynical spoiler, impeding any chance for a meaningful deal to score political points.

BOTTOM LINE: This historic agreement of a framework over Iran’s nuclear program, agreed to not just by the United States but also other major world powers like Russia and China, deserves a chance. Any attempt to derail it is is not just a political attack: it is an intentional attempt to disrupt international diplomacy, exacerbate conflict with Iran, and weaken America’s standing in the international community.

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2016 Projections


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The Changing Face of America’s Electorate Has Big Political Implications for 2016

One of several reasons Democrats did not have a successful 2014 was the predictably low turnout among some of the party’s key constituencies. But, as we wrote, 2016 is a whole different ballgame. Now a new Center for American Progress analysis takes a big step in quantifying just how different it could be — and how much of a headwind the GOP faces to retake the White House.

The study, by policy analyst Patrick Oakford, runs a number of simulations of the 2016 elections incorporating the projected racial and ethnic demographic changes in America. As voters of color make up an increasing share of the electorate, it becomes increasingly difficult for Republicans to win key swing states and in turn the Electoral College. In fact, the study finds that even if racial and ethnic groups vote in 2016 how they voted in 2004 when Bush won reelection, Republicans would still lose key states like Ohio.

Here is a brief overview of the simulations and their findings. Check out the full issue brief for more details.

Simulation #1: Racial and ethnic groups turn out to vote at 2012 levels and vote for Republicans and Democrats at 2012 levels.

This scenario means that nothing changes between the 2012 and 2016 elections except for demographic shifts. In this case, the only change is that Democrats would win North Carolina.

Simulation #2: Racial and ethnic groups turn out at 2012 levels, but vote at 2004 levels.

This scenario helps Republicans — four in ten Hispanic voters went for George W. Bush in 2004, while just 27 percent voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. It addresses the argument that voting patters among minority groups might change when Barack Obama is not on the ticket. But, with the demographic changes, Democrats still come out on top in the Electoral College. Ohio, which went for Bush in 2004, would turn blue again.

Simulations #3: Racial and ethnic groups turn out at 2012 levels. Whites vote at 2012 levels, while racial minorities vote at 2004 levels.

This final scenario attempts to stack the deck in favor of Republicans. That’s because they got a stronger white vote in 2012 than in 2004, but a stronger Hispanic vote in 2004 than in 2012. And yet, they come up short in this simulations as well.

BOTTOM LINE: New projections of the 2016 electorate show that Republicans can’t just hope for a return to pre-Obama voting patterns to win the presidency. They need to do even better. But instead of trying to actually represent the changing electorate by tackling the important challenges that matter to these groups, like passing immigration reform, House Republicans are gearing up to defund the president’s recent common-sense executive actions on immigration, rolling back important protections and splitting families and communities in the process.

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Mark Ruffalo with Earthjustice


Earthjustice - Take Action Today

Five years ago, millions of barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The Gulf still hasn’t fully recovered from the spill, yet now the Department of the Interior is proposing to open even more of our coastal waters to offshore drilling. This shortsighted and irresponsible policy would put our coastal ecosystems and communities at even greater risk.

Earthjustice is partnering with groups across the country to demand action now to keep more drill rigs out of the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. And we need your help.

Join me in telling the Obama administration to stop new leasing in the Atlantic and the Arctic oceans.

New offshore drilling and leasing in those areas would open fragile and priceless coastal ecosystems to damage from pollution and spills, pose immeasurable risk to economies and communities up and down the Atlantic seaboard, and accelerate global climate disruption.

An oil spill in any body of water causes irreparable damage. It’s just not worth it. If we’re going to successfully turn the tide on climate change, we must move away from all fossil fuels—whether it’s fracking, tar sands, mountaintop removal, or offshore drilling—and focus our efforts on increasing renewable energy.

Now is the time to tell the Department of the Interior that drill rigs have no place in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Sincerely,

Staff photo

Mark Ruffalo
Actor, Earthjustice supporter,
and founder of Water Defense
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Leila Deen, Greenpeace … Shell


Shell is traveling across the Pacific, and we’re watching.

Shell on the water
Follow these volunteers as they travel across the Pacific to document Shell’s misdeeds.

Follow

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United Nations Foundation


If you’re curious about the UN’s response to the Ebola outbreak or want to know more about what the UN is doing to reduce deaths from preventable diseases like malaria and measles, the United Nations Foundation blog is going to be your new go-to resource online.

Click here to read the latest news on the blog and then be sure to share it on Facebook or Twitter.

With so many international news stories coming out each day, our blog is a great way to stay on top of the latest topics that the UN and the UN Foundation are tackling.

Don’t miss our latest post – click here to check it out and share it with your friends.

Thank you,

The United Nations Foundation team