Sheehan Speaks in U.S. Congress

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On November 5, 2015, Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan, Associate Professor of Public and International Affairs, spoke in the U.S. Congress alongside prominent U.S. officials including the first Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Amb. PJ Crowley, Former White House National Security Council Senior Staffer and Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan Raymond Tanter, Former Executive Director of Freedom House Bruce McColm.

The briefing, held in the U.S. House of Representatives Rayburn Office Building, came just one week after a terrorist attack on Iranian dissidents killed 24 individuals and wounded dozens more. The briefing featured assessments of U.S. Iran policy in the the context of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and bipartisan condemnations of recent violence directed at the Iranian opposition detained in Iraq. The missile attack received widespread coverage in U.S. media including articles in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, The Associated Press, and FOXnews.com.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ) issued a strong statement describing the attack as an “outrage” which “represents a betrayal of the civilians the United States committed to protect.”

In his remarks Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan issued an assessment of the realities facing U.S. policymakers:

“The world’s shift to a pro-engagement policy with Tehran facilitated the decision to crack down on those individuals promoting freedom, democracy, human rights, gender equality, the rule of law, and a non-nuclear Iran.

The attack is just the most recent example of the Iranian regime’s continued state sponsorship of terrorism, in spite of the nuclear agreement.

In the week’s ahead, Congress must build the bipartisanship necessary to demand accountability and action from the Iraqi Government. Congress must also independently use its leverage to only allow funds, arms, and training to the Iraqi Government after it has ensured – in a transparent way and credible way – the protection of the residents of Camp Liberty. In the wake of the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action with Iran, Congress must act more resolutely than ever before.”

Dr. Sheehan is the Director of the graduate programs in Negotiations & Conflict Management and Global Affairs & Human Security in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore.

For additional research or media related updates or to learn more about Dr. Sheehan, follow him on Twitter @ProfSheehan or link to his research profiles.

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One Response to “Sheehan Speaks in U.S. Congress”

  1. […] of Public and International Affairs, spoke in the U.S. Congress alongside prominent U.S. officials. Additional details are available here. See also recent media appearances […]

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