The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote soon on an authorization for the use of force in Iraq and Syria against ISIS. When there is a vote on an AUMF, it is expected to pass overwhelmingly. But the committee will have the opportunity to impose limits on the use of military force. Senator Kaine’s proposal would prohibit the use of ground troops except for rescue missions and "limited operations against high-value targets" – that is, against terrorist leaders who directly threaten the United States. It would expire in one year unless renewed by Congress and would require the White House to give legislators a list of groups that might be covered by the authorization because they are associated with the Islamic State. [1] Urge the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support Senator Kaine’s efforts to limit the use of force by signing our petition. References: 1. “Senate hearing set on role of Congress in military actions,” Bill Bartel, Virginian-Pilot, December 6, 2014, http://www.stripes.com/news/us/senate-hearing-set-on-role-of-congress-in-military-actions-1.317718

Defending diplomatic engagement with Iran is going to be a bigger challenge with Republicans taking over the Senate. Now, even more than before, we need Democratic Senators to speak up for diplomacy. Already, following the November 24 extension of the Iran talks and interim nuclear agreement with Iran, many Republicans and even some Democrats are calling for Congress to pass new sanctions on Iran, which would violate the agreement and kill the talks. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders are key voices we need to defend diplomacy. Sen. Warren and Sen. Sanders are nationally recognized as leaders of progressive Democrats. But since November 24, Sen. Warren and Sen. Sanders —unlike Senators Feinstein, Boxer, Baldwin, [1] Murphy, Levin, Johnson, Schatz [2] Kaine, and Casey [3] —have not yet spoken up for the extension of the agreement and talks. Urge Senator Warren and Senator Sanders to speak up for diplomacy by signing our petition. References: 1. “What Women Leaders Are Saying on the Iran Nuclear Negotiations,” Jessie Calkins, WAND, November 19, 2014, http://www.wand.org/2014/11/19/what-women-leaders-are-saying-on-the-iran-nuclear-negotiations/ 2. “Vienna Nuke Talks: Congressional Reaction,” United States Institute of Peace, November 25, 2014, http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2014/nov/25/vienna-nuke-talks-congressional-reaction 3. “Strong Congressional Support for Extension to Iran Negotiations,” Ryan Costello, NIAC, November 24, 2014, http://www.niacouncil.org/strong-congressional-support-extension-iran-negotiations/

When Republicans take over the Senate in the new year, defending diplomatic engagement with Iran is going to get tougher. A key problem is that a few Democratic Senators are backing Republican demands to pass new sanctions on Iran. Such a move would violate the interim nuclear deal—and would likely kill the talks, along with any prospect that they will lead to a comprehensive agreement to address international concerns about Iran’s nuclear program. Michigan Senator-elect Gary Peters is one of the Democrats helping Republicans try to kill diplomacy. [1] While retiring Senator Carl Levin defended the decision to extend the talks and the interim agreement with Iran, Peters, the Democrat taking over Levin’s seat, has demanded that Congress enact “tougher sanctions,” even though that would violate the agreement and kill the talks. Urge Senator-elect Peters to change his position and support diplomacy by signing our petition. References: 1. “On Preventing Iran War, Gary Peters is No Carl Levin,” Robert Naiman, Huffington Post, 12/01/2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/on-preventing-iran-war-ga_b_6251076.html

The U.S. and its European partners have agreed to extend the interim nuclear deal with Iran while continuing to work towards a comprehensive, permanent agreement. The extension of the interim deal means that Iran’s nuclear program will continue to be under tightened restrictions and closer international inspection. Unfortunately, with the Republican takeover of the Senate, opponents of diplomacy are going to have more opportunities to try to derail the talks. Anti-diplomacy forces are already demanding that Congress enact new sanctions, even though new U.S. sanctions would violate U.S. commitments under the interim deal. All that new sanctions legislation would do now is provoke Iranian hardliners and undermine the voices of those in Iran who want to reconcile with the West—which is exactly what anti-diplomacy forces in the U.S. want. Urge your Representative and Senators to oppose efforts to kill the Iran talks, by signing our petition.

The highest priority is that the safety and security of all of humanity must be protected and preserved. This responsibility for the USA to become a leader and a participant in this global mission is underscored by the inescapable fact that had the USA, under the command of George W. Bush, never conquered Iraq and tracked down Saddam Hussein and killed him, Saddam Hussein would have had the ability – along with armed Kurdish fighters, called Peshmerga (who ironically helped the USA in its mission to capture Saddam) – to control Baghdadi and the IS. This is now the only way to stop the IS. We must stand firmly on the right side of history for, if we do not, there may not be much left of our previous history, nor of our present humankind and all of its achievements and wonders.

I dont want one US soldier or Iranian to die because the war corporations have bought out congress.

Mideast Peace = Peace of Jerusalem = World Peace

We don’t just need to end the war in Iraq - we need to end the mindset that got us into Iraq. President Obama said that during the primaries and this sentiment has shaped the way he’s approached Iran. It’s important for us to know if candidates are going to see a potential military solution to every foreign policy challenge. Or in other words policies that often make us less safe because they accelerate the spread of extremism. Diplomacy works. We’ve seen how the diplomatic negotiations with Iran have made us safer by freezing Iran’s nuclear challenge and opening the program to daily inspections. With Iran in the news now is the time for us to ask potential Presidential hopefuls - what is your approach to foreign policy? By asking the question we can set the tone for the primaries so that this issue doesn’t fall by the wayside. For many of us issues like immigration, health, education and a safe environment are close to our hearts. By pushing candidates to support diplomacy we potentially save thousands of lives but ensure that less of our taxpayer dollars are spent tackling important issues at home.

Article 9 of the Japanese Peace Constitution declares that Japan will never again make war. Japan has not made war for 67 years. U.S. occupation forces re-wrote the Peace Constitution in 1946. The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is campaigning to bring a version of Article 9 as an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I am a member of WILPF and Veterans for Peace, working closely to make Article 9 a reality in the U.S. and ultimately to support the UN mandate to abolish war-making as a political-economic tool.

The Dominican Republic has denaturalized its citizens of Haitian ancestry in violation of its own constitution and human rights norms. We must stand up for the powerless victims in this case.

Stand with Senator Murphy and tell Congress to let diplomacy work. Last November, the U.S. and our partners in the international community reached a breakthrough agreement with Iran. The so-called Joint Plan of Action paved the way for a comprehensive deal that would remove both the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon and the potential for a U.S.-Iran military confrontation. The deadline to reach a final agreement is November 24. This is our chance to solve one of America’s greatest security concerns without dropping a bomb. But that's not stopping some in Congress from trying to kill the deal before it's even finalized. Opponents of diplomacy are mobilizing to undermine the final hour of talks. S. 2650, a bill sponsored by Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), would tie the hands of our negotiators, cut off funding for inspections, and push Iran away from the negotiating table. The last time America listened to voices like these, we got the Iraq War. We can't let that happen again. We’ve been told that negotiators from the United States, Iran, and five other world powers have drafted an agreement that is 95% done. There is cautious optimism that we can get a deal, but this historic opportunity could still fall apart. A year ago, the U.S. and Iran were barely on speaking terms. Now, we could be just one week away from a long-term deal that not only places Iran's nuclear program under a lock and key, ensuring that Iran cannot get a nuclear bomb, but also does so without having to take even one step toward another war in the Middle East. That's diplomacy at work. Please support this historic opportunity to win without war. Watch Senator Murphy's speech: http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4514687/sen-murphy-supports-iran-diplomacy.

The Administration has requested $5 billion in new funding for the new war in Iraq and Syria. But Congress has not yet debated and voted on an authorization for the use of military force [1], and budget watchdog groups say the Pentagon can easily find the money in the massive budgets it already has. [2] Urge your Representative and Senators to oppose any new funding for war in Iraq and Syria until Congress has debated and voted on an authorization for the use of force and the Pentagon has explained why it needs more money on top of the massive budgets it already has, by signing our petition. References: 1. “Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine: We're in ISIS war 'without legal authority,'” Laura Koran and Ashley Killough, CNN, Wed November 12, 2014, http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/12/politics/tim-kaine-isis/index.html 2. “The Pentagon's Budget Bamboozle: Lawmakers should look very closely at the latest Pentagon funding request,” Ryan Alexander, Taxpayers for Common Sense, U.S. News & World Report, Nov. 12, 2014, http://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/2014/11/12/congress-should-look-closely-at-pentagon-overseas-funding-requests