Just Foreign Policy

Campaigns

• Congress: Oppose IMF Assault on Greek Democracy

  Greece is experiencing a financial crisis imposed by the hardline austerity demands and dangerous brinkmanship of its official creditors, especially the International Monetary Fund [IMF]. The IMF is a US-taxpayer financed institution. President Obama [1] and US Nobel-prize winning economists Paul Krugman [2] and Joseph Stiglitz [3] have criticized the IMF policies which have led to this crisis, which is coming to a head this week with threats that Greece may be forced to default on its debt and leave the Euro if Greek voters don’t approve new austerity demands, including cuts to public pensions and raising the retirement age. Urge your Representative and Senators to make a public statement against what the IMF is doing to Greece by signing our petition. References: 1. “Obama joins ally list on Greek austerity relief,” http://news.yahoo.com/obama-joins-ally-list-greek-austerity-relief-033040983.html 2. “Greece Over the Brink,” http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/opinion/paul-krugman-greece-over-the-brink.html 3. “Europe’s Attack on Greek Democracy,” http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/greece-referendum-troika-eurozone-by-joseph-e--stiglitz-2015-06

  13,249 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Force House Vote on Saudi War in Yemen to Stop Cholera & Famine

  On June 15, the UN Security Council unanimously called for a cease-fire in the conflict between the Saudi-UAE coalition and the Houthi-Saleh forces in Yemen. "The U.N. Security Council urged the warring parties in Yemen on Thursday to immediately agree on a cease-fire and keep all ports open for humanitarian aid to confront the threat of famine and the rapid spread of cholera," AP reported. [1] On June 13, the U.S. Senate narrowly failed to block an arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Senators opposed to the deal stressed the need to end the humanitarian crisis in Yemen rather than escalate it. [2] "The Saudi-led war in Yemen has created a humanitarian disaster," Senator Bernie Sanders said. "Millions are at the risk of starvation...chaos in Yemen has also been strategically disastrous for the United States, providing fertile ground for the extremist groups like Al Qaeda and ISIS...it is long past time that we begin to take a very hard look at our relationship with Saudi Arabia...it is important that we begin to discuss...the decades long effort by Saudi Arabia to export an ultra-reactionary form of Islam throughout the world." [3] "The human rights and humanitarian concerns have been well documented and are important,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said. “Of equal concern to me is that the Saudi government continues to aid and abet terrorism via its relationship with Wahhabism and the funding of schools that spread extremist propaganda throughout the world." [4] But the Trump Administration plans to escalate U.S. participation in the Saudi bombing of Yemen, with U.S. military advisers in the Saudi air operations control center in Riyadh. [5] U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen has never been authorized by Congress. [6] House Members can challenge U.S. participation in the war with amendments on the National Defense Authorization Act and the Department of Defense Appropriation. In addition, a single House Member can invoke Congressional war powers force to a debate and vote on withdrawing U.S. participation from the Saudi war in Yemen - which the UN Security Council has unanimously said should stop immediately to save Yemen from cholera and famine. The last time the House voted on any aspect of U.S. participation in the Saudi war was June 2016, when the House narrowly failed to prohibit the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. [7] Urge your Representative to force a House vote to withdraw U.S. backing from the Saudi war and blockade in Yemen by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/un-urges-yemen-cease-fire-and-open-ports-to-confront-cholera/2017/06/15/ec92b4b8-5219-11e7-b74e-0d2785d3083d_story.html 2. https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/saudi-yemen-war-famine?r_by=1135580 3. Senator Bernie Sanders, "We Must Reevaluate Our Relationship With Saudi Arabia," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqbebpDHCnE 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chuck-schumer-trump-saudi-arabia_us_593ec911e4b02402687bae98 5. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-arms-training-yemen.html 6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/02/alarm-grows-in-washington-as-saudi-coalition-attack-on-yemen-port-appears-imminent/; https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/05/19/trump-may-be-helping-to-create-a-famine-in-yemen-congress-could-stop-him/ 7. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/obama-heeding-close-house_b_10516480.html

  164,215 of 200,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Fix Espionage Act to Protect Whistleblowers & Journalists

  Government employees who share information with journalists in the public interest should never face charges of "aiding the enemy" under the Espionage Act of 1917. Urge Congress to fix the law so it can't be used to intimidate whistle-blowers and journalists with the charge of "aiding the enemy."

  16,152 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• @ChrisMurphyCT: Stop Attacking President Obama, Secretary Kerry, & the UN

  It's horrible but not surprising that some Democrats are slamming President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and the United Nations in the wake of President Obama's decision not to veto a UN Security Council resolution re-affirming that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. But the actions of Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy are particularly disappointing. Murphy has sought to position himself as a progressive voice on foreign policy. He was the first Senator to call out the Obama Administration's support for Saudi Arabia's catastrophic war in Yemen. [1] Yet on December 29, Murphy told MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" that the UN is "not a fair forum for the Israelis" and that the White House should have vetoed the Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements in the West Bank. [2] Murphy's attack on the UN was pure sophistry, since the forum in question was the UN Security Council, where the US has a permanent veto. Nothing happens in the UN Security Council without US permission, and nothing ever will. That's a fundamental fact about the design of the United Nations, and Chris Murphy knows it. Urge Chris Murphy to stop his attacks on President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and the United Nations by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.cfr.org/middle-east-and-north-africa/chris-murphy-roots-radical-extremism/p37471 2. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/chris-murphy-barack-obama-john-kerry-israel-donald-trump-233026

  7,291 of 8,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• .@nytimes, @Sulliview: Put Budget Numbers in Context

  [UPDATE: New York Times Public Editor Margaret Sullivan has responded to this petition: "The Times Is Working on Ways to Make Numbers-Based Stories Clearer for Readers" http://publiceditor.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/the-times-is-working-on-ways-to-make-numbers-based-stories-clearer-for-readers] Economist Dean Baker writes: "It is the media’s job to inform the public about the budget. They are clearly failing badly. A major reason is very simple. When they write about the budget they almost never put the numbers in context. As a result, readers might hear that we’re spending $15 billion on foreign aid or $400 million on the CPB [Corporation for Public Broadcasting] and think that this is a lot of money...But it is not a lot of money for the federal government. This point would be immediately apparent in every news report on the budget if the standard practice were to report budget items as a share of the budget instead of in dollar terms. Telling readers that spending on CPB takes up 0.012 percent of the budget immediately tells them how important this spending is to the government. Telling readers that we’re spending $400 million on CPB tells the overwhelming majority of readers almost nothing... Fortunately the New York Times has a public editor, Margaret Sullivan, who takes journalistic standards seriously. There is good reason to believe that if enough people were to raise this issue with her that she would look into the issue and press the matter with the paper’s editors. If the New York Times were to change its practice for budget reporting most of the rest of the media would almost certainly follow. The NYT is recognized as the preeminent newspaper in the country. Their standards are taken seriously by everyone." -"The Tea Party and the New York Times Shut Down the Government," Dean Baker, Truthout, 14 October 2013 http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/19402-the-tea-party-and-the-new-york-times-shut-down-the-government

  20,314 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• IRS: Investigate Tax-Exempt Support for West Bank Settlements

  As U.S. officials like Secretary of State John Kerry have stated, Israeli settlements in the West Bank are one of the greatest obstacles to achieving a diplomatic agreement to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service [IRS] and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control [OFAC] have been permissive of private U.S. financial support for Israeli settlements that the U.S. government officially opposes; ironically, even more permissive than Israeli law. [1] The fact that financial supporters of the settlements have abused U.S. tax law has been documented by the New York Times. [2] It’s time for U.S. policy to change. The IRS and OFAC have the legal authority to act. Urge the Administration to investigate abuse of U.S. tax law by financial supporters of West Bank settlements by signing our petition. References: 1. “It's Really The Settlements, Stupid!” Ambassador Marc Ginsberg (former White House Middle East Adviser), 10/15/2014, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/its-really-the-settlement_b_5993010.html 2. “Tax-Exempt Funds Aid Settlements in West Bank,” Jim Rutenberg, Mike McIntire and Ethan Bronner, New York Times, July 5, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/world/middleeast/06settle.html

  543 of 600 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Democrats: Don't Attend Netanyahu's Speech

  Republican House Speaker John Boehner has scheduled an address to Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu two weeks before the Israeli election, without consulting the White House or the House Democratic leadership. Netanyahu and Boehner have said that the purpose of the talk is to attack President Obama’s diplomatic engagement with Iran and try to blow up the talks. The White House has said that President Obama and Administration officials will not meet with Netanyahu. Urge Democratic Members of Congress not to attend Netanyahu's speech by signing our petition. UPDATES: So far, 36 Democrats have said that they won't attend the speech: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/democrats-skipping-netanyahu_b_6770734.html

  32,770 of 35,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• @FBI: Investigate Middle East Institute's Funding From the United Arab Emirates

  A key driver of Saudi Arabia's famine-inducing war in Yemen has been the government of the United Arab Emirates. A key advocate on Capitol Hill for the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen has been Gerald Feierstein of the Middle East Institute, which receives money from Saudi Arabia and the UAE as well as major U.S. arms manufacturers. In March, Feierstein advocated to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on behalf of the Saudi arms deal. [1] Feierstein also advocated in favor of a Saudi-UAE plan to attack the Yemeni port of Hodeida, which the UN, aid groups, and former U.S. officials warned would almost certainly push Yemen into famine. [2] The Intercept has now reported based on a leaked document that the Middle East Institute was to receive $20 million from the UAE over 2016-2017, which the UAE hoped to conceal, with the first payment coming in 2016. According to the agreement, the contribution would allow the MEI to "inform U.S. government policy makers." [3] On June 13, 2017, Feierstein testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee about the U.S.-Saudi relationship. [4] In his required disclosure form, Feierstein claimed that his organization had not received any payment or contract from any foreign government related to the matter of the hearing since 2013. [5] According to the Intercept story, that statement was false. Making false statements to Congress is a violation of federal law. [6] Ask your representatives in Congress to press the FBI to investigate the Middle East Institute's funding from the United Arab Emirates, whether MEI is violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and whether Gerald Feierstein lied to Congress about MEI's funding from the UAE by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.justsecurity.org/41712/defense-industry-campaign-contributions-threaten-influence-senate-vote-saudi-arms-deal/ 2. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/en/originals/2017/03/yemen-operation-uae-saudi-famine-port-trump-criticism.html 3. https://theintercept.com/2017/08/09/gulf-government-gave-secret-20-million-gift-to-d-c-think-tank/ 4. http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA13/20170613/106108/HHRG-115-FA13-Wstate-FeiersteinG-20170613.pdf 5. http://docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA13/20170613/106108/HHRG-115-FA13-TTF-FeiersteinG-20170613.pdf 6. http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/24/politics/penalty-for-lying-to-congress/index.html

  5,373 of 6,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert R Naiman
• No Iran Deal Opponents in Dem Administration

  More Democrats are stepping up to support the Iran nuclear deal. [1] But Sens. Cory Booker and Mark Warner, who may be considered for vice president, are not yet counted as yes. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders support the Iran deal, and Martin O’Malley has offered cautious praise. They should pledge not to pick running mates who oppose it. [2] They should also pledge not to appoint Iran deal opponents to confirmation-level positions; and Senate Democrats should pledge to oppose Senate confirmation for Iran deal opponents. Some Senate Democrats like Chuck Schumer and Robert Menendez have already joined Republicans in pushing for war. Ron Wyden, who has been good on Iran diplomacy in the past [3] and bad in the past [4], is now counted by the Washington Post as “leaning no” on the Iran deal. [5] Democrats fear that Gary Peters’ chief of staff may push him to oppose the deal. [6] Alan Grayson, who is running for Senate in Florida, is counted by The Hill as “leaning no,” while Tammy Duckworth, who is running for Senate in Illinois, is counted as “unclear/undecided.” [7] Urge Democratic Presidential candidates and Senate Democrats to draw a line in the sand against Iran deal opponents by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/world/middleeast/wild-cards-remain-as-democrats-add-supporters-on-iran-deal.html 2. http://act.credoaction.com/sign/iran_vp 3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/19/iran-sanctions_n_4475204.html 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/back-door-to-war-iran-bill_b_2802737.html 5. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/07/14/whip-count-where-the-senate-stands-on-the-iran-deal/ 6. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/world/middleeast/wild-cards-remain-as-democrats-add-supporters-on-iran-deal.html 7. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/250261-the-hills-whip-list-house-dems-divided-on-iran-deal

  5,513 of 6,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• @ADL_National: Divest from settlements to maintain credibility on anti-Semitism

  With the rise and election of Trump, anti-Semitism is appearing in mainstream U.S. discourse in an unprecedented way. At the same time, false and grossly exaggerated accusations of anti-Semitism remain a potent political weapon in U.S. politics. Now, more than ever, we need organizations that can serve the public as principled, credible, unbiased investigators and referees of allegations of anti-Semitism in the U.S. The Anti-Defamation League would be ideally positioned to occupy this role, but unfortunately it currently suffers from a perceived conflict of interest. In addition to advocating against anti-Semitism, the ADL also advocates for the unfettered expansion and legitimation of settlements in the West Bank. The ADL's entanglement in the settlements issue diminishes the ADL's credibility on anti-Semitism in the eyes of many Americans. If the ADL accuses an American who opposes the settlements of anti-Semitism, many Americans will wonder, rightly or wrongly, if the ADL's advocacy for settlements is coloring the ADL's judgment. Thus, the ADL's settlements advocacy undermines its ability to combat anti-Semitism. Urge the ADL to divest itself from advocacy for settlements to maintain its credibility on allegations of anti-Semitism by signing our petition.

  9,671 of 10,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman