Thursday, May 15, 2008

Trita Parsi and NIAC's radical funding   [Michael Rubin]

The National Iranian American Council describes itself as a bipartisan organization supporting Iranian Americans, but its advocacy mirrors the diplomatic stances of the Islamic Republic.

• NIAC argued vociferously against U.S. funding for both Iranian civil society groups and to the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.
• NIAC has consistently opposed U.S. sanctions on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
• Its head Trita Parsi has peddled the fiction of a 2003 Iranian diplomatic offer for a grand bargain.
• Trita Parsi, who trades on his connections to Iranian regime officials, has claimed that Iran offered to disarm Hezbollah (at the time, it was augmenting its missile shipments)

That NIAC has paired with radical political organizations is no secret. What Trita Parsi and NIAC have not previously acknowledged, however, is that their funding comes from the most radical foundations. “Cultures of Resistance,” a radical organization which seeks to undercut mainstream U.S. policy and promote radical regimes like North Korea and the Islamic Republic also funded NIAC as Trita Parsi lobbied against sanctions on Iran and sought to cut off support for non-violent civil society. How nice it must be for NIAC to know that they share funding sources with North Korean universities.

We will all await Trita Parsi's explanation.

05/15 09:23 AMShare