Congressional Update
By Carolyn "Rusti" Eisenberg and Prasannan Parthasarathi, H-PAD Legislative Coorinators
House of Representatives
- Last week, the House of Representatives passed H.Con. Res.83, Iran War Powers Resolution by a margin of 224-194. They were flooded by calls from constituents urging them to pass this measure.
- Now pending in the House are two stronger measures, both endorsed by the Progressive Caucus. One of these is Barbara Lee’s proposal to repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which has been misused by all three administrations to justify military action in several countries.
- The second is a resolution introduced by Ro Khanna (D-Calif) to bar Pentagon funding for military force against Iran without Congressional authorization. This is matched with Bernie Sanders’ bill in the Senate.
Helpful to call your representatives and ask them to support the Lee and Khanna Resolutions
On the Senate side
- A companion Iran War Powers Resolution (S.J. Res.68) is pending in the Senate. Sponsor Tim Kaine has been modifying the language to attract some Republican support.
- Although not as strong as we would like it to be, it is still important to pass this measure with the maximum number of votes. If you have not already done so, it is helpful to call your two Senators and urge them to vote Yes. Click here for list of co-sponsors:
- When calling your Senators, be sure to ask that they endorse as well an even stronger resolution sponsored by Bernie Sanders, S.3159 No War with Iran Act, which would block all federal funds to be used in military action against Iran. Click here for tt and co-sponsors of the Sanders Resolution:
To reach your Senators and Representatives, call the Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121
Links to Recent Articles of Interest
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment blog, posted January 13
The author teaches Middle East history at the University of Michigan.
By DJ Polite, Activist History Review, posted January 7
The author is a PhD candidate at the University of South Carolina researching race, empire, and citizenship.
By Gareth Porter, The American Conservative, posted January 9
"Vietnam may seem like a lifetime ago, but its failures and lies loom."
By Ali M. Ansari, HistoryExtra, posted January 8
Background reading for current events. The author teaches history at St. Andrew's University and has written several books on Iranian history.
By David J. Wasserstein, Consortium News, posted January 7
Gives historical examples of the targeting of cultural sites. The author teaches history and Jewish studies at Vanderbilt University.
By Andrew Bacevich, The Guardian, posted January 7
"The US believed that the American Way of Life was humankind's ultimate destiny. But unrestrained greed has led to an era of injustice and division." The author is a professor emeritus of history and international relations at Boston University. This essay is drawn from his just-published book The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory
By Colleen Flaherty, Inside Higher Education, posted January 7
A detailed report on the American Historical Association's annual business meeting, in which a resolution calling for an end to university contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement passed 70-60 and two resolutions condemning Israeli restrictions on academic freedom were defeated 80-41 and 61-36.
By Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., New York Times, posted January 7
Review essay on the new book Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 [in Wilmington, NC] and the Rise of White Supremacy by David Zuccino. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. teaches African American Studies at Princeton University.
By Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, posted December 30
"The story of Jimmy Carter's administration and the shah of Iran
tells us a whole lot about American meddling overseas and overseas meddling in America. So does Ronald Reagan's role."
By George Beebe, The National Interest, posted December 22
"As our debacles in Vietnam and Iraq demonstrate, expert consensus is not always a recipe for success.Perhaps it should come as no surprise that American policy toward Ukraine has also been steeped in illusions."
Thanks to James Swarts, Rusti Eisenberg, and an anonymous reader for suggesting articles included in the above list. Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.