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In case anyone is moved to make some pro-Iran Deal signs for this
Saturday's demonstration (and the Labor Day parade)...<br>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Subject:
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<td>[ufpj-activist] talking points on iran deal</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">Date: </th>
<td>Thu, 3 Sep 2015 18:26:00 -0400</td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">From: </th>
<td>Phyllis Bennis <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:pbennis@ips-dc.org"><pbennis@ips-dc.org></a></td>
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<th align="RIGHT" nowrap="nowrap" valign="BASELINE">To: </th>
<td>UFPJ Activists <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:ufpj-activist@lists.mayfirst.org"><ufpj-activist@lists.mayfirst.org></a></td>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">With so much
work left to do to get the Senate vote past 34 to 41
supporters of the Iran deal, here are some talking points both
for now and looking forward to the future and what this deal
may make possible.â</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">Thanks.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">Phyllis</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small"> </div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">***************************************************</div>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:18pt"><font
face="Calibri">Talking Points: </font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:18pt"><font
face="Calibri">The Iran Deal & Senate
Commitments
to Protect the Deal</font></span></p>
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size="3">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:18pt"><font
face="Calibri"> </font></span></p>
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size="3">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">By Phyllis Bennis,<span> </span>Institute
for Policy Studies</font></span></p>
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size="3">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"> </span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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size="3">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><b><u><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">** Importance of the
existing deal</font></span></u></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"> <span>
</span>This
is a huge victory for diplomacy over the
threat of war, preventing the very
real danger of war with Iran â now the
US must implement what it committed to
in June.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri"> <span> </span><span>
</span>The
deal strengthens recognition that
diplomacy is more successful than threats
or
war.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><span>
</span>Because
it prevents the threat of war, the deal
makes everyone safer â Americans,
Iranians,
Arabs across the Middle East, Israelis,
and everybody else.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in
0pt;text-indent:0.5in"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">The deal would prevent Iran
from building a nuclear weapon if it ever
decided to (a decision which all US
intelligence agencies agree it has not
made).</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span> </span>The
deal
begins the of lifting economic sanctions
that have had a devastating
impact on ordinary civilian Iranians,
strengthens those in Iran who support
openness including all major human rights
organizations and activists, and
weakens the hardliners.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri"> </font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><b><u><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt">**
Importance of the Senateâs
commitment to insuring the
deal goes through</span></u></b><b><u><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></u></b></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"> <span>
</span>It means the US will not be
isolated by allies and others
for abandoning its commitment to the deal
made months ago.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri"> <span> </span>It
strengthens US as a diplomatic, rather
than solely military leader.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri"> </font></span></p>
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size="3">
</font>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><b><u><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt">**
Political gains</span></u></b><b><u><span
style="font-size:12pt"></span></u></b></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">
It undermines US
backers of the Iraq war and others calling
openly for war with Iran.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span> </span>It
shows
that massive popular engagement with
Congress can defeat even huge
investments of cash by wealthy &
powerful individuals and organizations who
choose war over diplomacy, including
AIPAC, the arms lobby and others.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span
style="font-size:12pt"><font face="Calibri"><font
color="#000000"><span> </span>It
proves
what the public already knows, but
Congress doesnât know or wonât
admit,
that breaking with Israeli intransigence
and militarism does not mean political
suicide.</font></font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"> </span><span
style="font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><b><u><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">**Potential future
gains resulting from the Iran deal</font></span></u></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt">
Lays
the groundwork for the kind of âgrand
bargainâ that Tehran offered back in
2001, that could lead to<span> </span>broader
negotiations
over all the outstanding issues, including
regional crises, Iranâs role in the
region, human rights, US acceptance of
Iran as regional power, etc. </span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in
0pt;text-indent:0.5in"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">Potential to build on
shared US and Iranian interests in Iraq
& elsewhere.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in
0pt;text-indent:0.5in"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt"><font
face="Calibri">Possibility for new
all-party negotiations on ending the
Syrian
war.</font></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in
0pt;text-indent:0.5in"><font face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt">Potential
for strengthening Non-Proliferation Treaty
obligations
on US and other. âofficialâ nuclear
weapons states to move towards nuclear
disarmament.</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font
face="Calibri"><span
style="color:black;font-size:12pt">
Potential
to expand from non-proliferation to
disarmament, through creation of
a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle
East with no exceptions. (Iran
already supports, and US is officially on
record supporting such a Zone in UN
Security Council resolution 687 that ended
the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. But
US rejects the idea to protect Israelâs
uninspected nuclear weapons arsenal that
continues to destabilize the region.)</span><span
style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";font-size:12pt"></span></font></p>
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<div> </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Phyllis Bennis</div>
<div>Director, New Internationalism Project</div>
<div>Institute for Policy Studies</div>
<div>1112 16th Street NW #600</div>
<div>Washington DC 20036</div>
<div>tel: (202) 234-9382 ex 5206</div>
<div>fax: (202) 387-7915</div>
<div> </div>
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