We are working for the cause of peace and democratic reform in Iran. As a primary concern, we oppose the use military force in Iran by the United States or other foreign powers. In the place of military intervention, we offer a non-violent, yet viable, multidimensional plan to achieve the following objectives:

• Create Lasting, Democratic Reform in Iran.
• Improve US-Iranian Relations

The key components of this plan include offering outside-of-the-box ideas to encourage democratic reform in Iran and to connect scholars, policy experts, and activists in the two countries in order to promote common understanding and peaceful initiatives for change.

As the promotion and achievement of these goals involve a range of activities both in the United States and in Iran, the Iran Democracy Plan articulates its ambitions in the form of three problems and our vision for their solution.

The Political Problem: Both the bitter legacy of the embassy hostage crisis and the present concern of world powers over Iran’s intention to develop nuclear weapons have combined to create a burgeoning crisis in US-Iranian relations. Accordingly recent years have seen a marked increase in calls, both from voices in government and from private citizens and lobbies, for pre-emptive military action in Iran in order to prevent its acquisition of nuclear weapons. Presently, this crisis approaches a critical juncture as both governments find themselves pressed to act decisively.

It is the strong belief of the Iran Democracy Plan that armed conflict in any form between the United States and Iran would have disastrous and long-lasting consequences. We believe moreover that war and the use of violence against the current Iranian regime will only serve to strengthen its support base and to legitimize its sovereignty in the eyes of Iranian citizens. There exist in Iran today emerging, grass-roots movements for change and democratic reform. What is more, recent research has indicated that the majority of Iranian citizens do not share their government’s enmity for the American people. As such, the Iran Democracy Plan contends that in addition to the human costs, both American and Iranian, any armed intervention in Iran would also squander these developing resources for internal reform and improved international relations.

Our Solution: As an alternative to armed conflict, the Iran Democracy Plan promotes the empowerment of Iranians to change their government from within. Finding inspiration in historical examples such as the Indian independence movement and Czechoslovakia’s “Velvet Revolution,” attempts to connect and organize political dissenters both in Iran and in the Iranian expatriate community for the purpose of drafting a common agenda for non-violent action against the current regime in Tehran.
In this process, this organization hopes to bring together existing advocates of reform and to provide an encouraging example for the like-minded who remain uninvolved. In pursuit of these goals, the Iran Democracy Plan will provide financial support where possible for those committed to a united non-violent reform movement and will work to organize a corollary movement in the United States expressing solidarity with Iranian dissent.

The Economic Problem: The Iran Democracy Plan believes that current economic conditions in Iran both contribute to the growing political crisis and hinder the cause of democratic reform. As new media technologies provide greater access to the outside world, many young Iranians aspire to an improved quality of life and greater opportunities for financial success, yet find themselves faced with the low ceiling of a stagnating, state-driven economy.

Moreover, the increased, state-led reliance of the Iranian economy on its vast oil resources has slowly contributed throughout the past quarter-century to the erosion of Iran’s traditionally strong culture of independent entrepreneurship. In turn, this decline in independent avenues for economic success has strengthened the dependence of the typical Iranian citizen on employment in the overgrown public sector.

Our Solution: While the scale of this problem exceeds the direct capacity of an independent organization of individuals, the Iran Democracy Plan hopes to provide a model solution in its contacts both in Iran and in the Iranian expatriate community. As a means of garnering support and empowering individuals to take greater control of their own lives, this organization will host courses focused on developing independent entrepreneurship and opportunities for economic self-improvement, first in the United States for the Iranian diaspora community and subsequently in Iran. In so doing, we hope to establish strong channels of financial and social support between Iranians at home and abroad and to encourage a culture of hope and ambition founded upon tangible successes.

The Educational Problem: As recent survey data has shown, Americans in increasing numbers view Iran as a hostile enemy and as an immediate threat to American security. Indeed for most Americans, the strongest images associated with Iran remain the grim scenes burning flags and angry student rallies outside the seized American embassy in Tehran. Recent events in US-Iranian relations such as the nuclear crisis, accusations of intervention in the war in Iraq, and a number of naval confrontations in the Persian Gulf have only served to reinforce such images and perceptions. In consequence, the current political conflict of the US government with Tehran effectively silences calls for a peaceful resolution and obscures from American perception what potential for good will and common understanding that persists in the Iranian public in general.

Our Solution: The Iran Democracy Plan believes that the perception of cultural enmity between the peoples of Iran and the United States represents a failure in education and mutual understanding rather than a natural fact of US-Iranian relations. Consequently this organization provides an accessible information resource through our website and public events for Americans interested in alternative, non-violent solutions to the current crisis. As a corollary, this organization also seeks to encourage and develop the cooperation and social networks of democratic and reformist organizations both in Iran and in the expatriate community. In this way, we hope to raise public awareness in both countries of the viability and necessity of non-violent solutions to our current problems. This organization will also host courses focused on developing leadership and personal effectiveness, first in the United States for the Iranian diaspora community and subsequently in Iran.