A Voice in the Wilderness In Defense of "Mere Conservatism"

Can Iran Be Free?

The Heritage Foundation is the standard for conservative think-tanks.  Heritage is involved in everything from Foreign Policy to Health Care Reform to Economic Freedom.  Today Heritage posted "Ten Steps to a Free Iran", an abbreviated list of ten things the US and Europe can (and should) be doing to help the millions of freedom-loving citizens of the Sharia-dominated nation.

Here are three of the ten:

1. Impose and enforce the strongest sanctions. The U.S. should push other concerned countries to enforce targeted sanctions on the Iranian regime and its internal security organs; ban all foreign investment, loans and credits, subsidized trade, and refined petroleum exports to Iran; and deny visas to its officials.

2. Drop opposition to U.S. gasoline sanctions. Both houses of Congress voted by large bipartisan majorities to impose sanctions against firms that export refined petroleum products to Iran. Yet the White House is dragging its feet, arguing such sanctions will impede diplomatic efforts at the U.N., even though the U.N. is unlikely to approve crippling sanctions.

3. Target public diplomacy to expose the regime's human rights abuses. Such a campaign should document the abuses and aid victims, step up broadcasting and support for independent Iranian broadcasters outside the country to expose corruption of officials and the regime's aid to terrorists, and educate Iranians about genuine representative democracy.