PeaceJam | Sanctions Vs. Negotiations with Iran

Sanctions Vs. Negotiations with Iran

Posted 3/4/2010 at 11:50 AM by Pantea B in Laureates News
Affiliate: PeaceJam HQ

Secretary Clinton visits Latin America and one of the things on her agenda was discussing Brazil's refusal to support sanctions against Iran.

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Clinton failed to convince the Brazilian President to support sanctions against Iran for defying U.N. requests to end its uranium enrichment program. She was counting on Brazil, a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, to support the sanctions along with permanent members Britain, France, and Germany.

“It is not wise to push Iran into a corner. It is wise to establish negotiations,” said President Silva, who is planning to travel to Tehran in May.

I am very interested to see what sort of negotiations Brazil is referring to, as Shirin and I have literally wore out our throats(Persian expression translated in to English)in repeating over and over again that it is unlawful for the international community and the UN to only make their negotiations with Iran over the topic of nuclear program when Iran has been and continues to commit bigger crimes such as it's on-going human rights violations against it's people. It is wrong to make any deals or negotiations with such a regime when they are committing to these other horrifying acts and It makes both Shirin and I and millions of other Iranians so upset to see that today business, weapons of war, and profit continue to come first before the value of human life and the standard to uphold universal human rights laws. This is why WE THE PEOPLE need to flip this paradigm and make it so that the value of human life is ALWAYS put first and foremost above any profit!

I was going to post a photo and feel like throwing up after looking at some of the images from a simple Iran Human Rights Violations search in Google Images. Bottom line is that Iran next to China has the largest number of executions each year and most of them for things like teenage girls having pre-marital sex or ethnic minorities such as Kurds for minor crimes such as petty theft, and most recently the youth that have been executed under the crime of being "enemies of God" by participating in non-violent protests of the Green Movement. Iran also currently has the highest number of child executions in the world as well as the highest number of reporters and journalists imprisoned!

Yes, a nuclear nation never benefits anyone but making sure Iran is at first a democratic nation, and holding them accountable to meet such standards that would promote democracy within, is a much more important task at hand. Because the problem with Iran is not it's nuclear program, it is it's lack of democracy. A democratic nation is a much less threat to the world than a nuclear state is! There are plenty of "democratic" nations with nuclear weapons including OURSELVES and several other countries but no one seems to be worried about that! Shame on our president and any other world leader including the UN and EU who over look these horrifying facts when making negotiations with countries like Iran or China simply because their assets and profits weigh more than the value of the human lives lost each day.

15 years ago we sat by our TVs and watched one of the most devastating events of (at least my lifetime) take place in Rwanda. Almost every single one of the NATO and UN workers in Rwanda were pulled out unharmed leaving hundreds of thousands of Rwandans to be slaughtered the way they were. We sat by and let it happen because we had nothing at stake there, and failed as a human family to recognize that every life, every child who was murdered in Rwanda was the most valuable thing we could have ever saved and held on to, instead of holding on to our bank accounts!

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Jasmin M wrote:
Pani, I couldn't agree with you more. Human life and rights should be at the forefront of all dealings with Iran. We should not be negotiating with a country that violates the rights of its people. We should be demanding that there be better treatment. I also find it completely hypocritical when a nation like the United States tells other countries that they cannot have nuclear development when we're toting a nuclear arsenal larger than anyone else in the world. What right do we have to decide who can and cannot have nuclear weapons?
posted 3/4/2010 at 1:04 PM

Pantea B wrote:
Akh, Jasmin you couldn't have said it any better! I always feel that for as long as other countries like the US or Israel have a nuclear arsenal like you say, they have no right telling anyone else not to have the same! It is the whole mentality that we are superior and it's ok for us to be a certain way but it's not ok for Iran! Well guess what, so far the U.S. is the only country that has killed the most civilians in the world in the last century, not Iran, not Syria but the U.S.! And it continues to do so everyday, well over half a million Iraqi civilians and still going. It makes me sick to my stomach that our country who spends the most money on killing people around the world for various reasons finds it appropriate to lobby for waring against more people this time Iran, just because they think that one day Iran might and may kill someone. If anything someone needs to disarm the U.S. and stop pretty much 90% of the world's wars with that! Even worst is that people actually buy this as s solution to today's problems in the world! It really makes me wish I lived in outer space or something.
posted 3/4/2010 at 1:20 PM

Andy S wrote:
The important issue for me is to do the most good and least harm. Yes, with absolution, the world as a whole should address Iran's human rights issues as well as the nuclear issue. But, what is the best way to do this? It is correct to to say that the human rights issue should take precedence. Just as Pani stated, if you have a stable democratic government then it doesn't matter whether they are a nuclear state or not, and if they have improve the government then they can point to the rest of the democratic nuclear powers and call them hypocrites, which we are. The U.N., U.S., and everyone else needs to change the argument from weapons to human rights that way they have a leg to stand on. Also if Iran wants nuclear power why doesn't the rest of the world try and help them, offer to help build a power plant in exchange for say... oh I don't know... ceasing executions, release of reporters and political prisoners. Or help them install solar power, like Shirin pointed out, this is an amazingly abundant and underused resource. This type of action has positive outcomes for everyone.
posted 3/4/2010 at 1:38 PM

Pantea B wrote:
Interesting points Andy.
posted 3/4/2010 at 2:18 PM

Jen C wrote:

Pani wrote:
This is why WE THE PEOPLE need to flip this paradigm and make it so that the value of human life is ALWAYS put first and foremost above any profit!

I completely agree with Pani about how messed up our mentality is, not just here, but everywhere. The powers that be put the economy above the very simple and basic idea that everyone deserves to live safely and freely. EVERYBODY. So Pani, I know this was mentioned in the last staff meeting, but if there is anyway we can be supporting you, Shirin, and the expecially the youth on death row, please let us know and post it on the urgent action.

posted 3/8/2010 at 11:06 AM

Pantea B wrote:
Thanks Jen. Perhaps we can have a link to Amnesty International's Urgent Action for each youth on death row in Iran right now. It gives you a list of people/places to pressure and write to. I will look them up and post here. Much thanks.
posted 3/8/2010 at 11:32 AM