[National Journal] Julie Kosterlitz - A burgeoning national grassroots lobbying and public-relations campaign is aimed at raising Americans' awareness of Iran and mobilizing them to lobby the federal and state governments to strengthen U.S. resolve against Tehran. The end goal is to economically isolate the Islamic republic. Politically diverse groups are pushing for legislation in at least a dozen states to purge state-directed portfolios - mainly public employee pension plans - of stock in companies, mostly from Europe and Asia, that do business with Iran. The movement has piggybacked on the growing success of another, ongoing campaign by human-rights advocates to push states to divest their holdings in Sudan because of that government's genocide against the people of the Darfur region. In the states, activist Republicans are leading the effort to pass Iran divestment bills, with law enforcement, firefighter, and labor groups, as well as Democrats, in support. In Congress, liberal Democrats, many of whom are Jewish, as well as conservative Republicans are sponsoring the Iran-focused sanctions and divestment bills, but politicians of all stripes have eagerly signed on. In August, the House passed, by a whopping 408-6 vote, a bill that authorizes state and local governments to divest from companies doing business in Iran's energy sector and gives legal protections to pension fund and mutual fund managers who choose to divest. The Iran Sanctions Enabling Act also requires the administration to publish a list every six months naming companies that have more than $20 million invested in Iran's energy sector. A second measure, which closes loopholes and toughens sanctions against foreign companies investing in Iran's energy sector as well as foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies doing business in Iran, passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee in June on a 37-1 vote. The Iran Counter-Proliferation Act has 323 co-sponsors; a companion Senate bill has 67.
2007-09-26 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive