IMGXYZ484IMGZYXThe Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) hosted a forum on May 24, on Capitol Hill where experts discussed the possible consequences of a preemptive attack on Iran.

The forum included Carnegie President Jessica Tuchman Mathews who discussed U.S. – Iran Relations and whether war with Iran would help or hurt U.S. national security. “The Bush Administration is backing our country down a cul-de-sac on Iran,” Mathews underscored. “If we don’t change course, we will be confronted with two horrible consequences: either a war that will prove far more catastrophic and costly than our military intervention in Iraq or a nuclear Iran. Our government immediately needs to engage directly in diplomacy with the Government of Iran and take regime change off the table. The principal purpose of diplomacy is to talk with other governments with whom we have problems, not our friends.”

The forum also featured Samantha Power, former executive director, Carr Center for Human Rights, Harvard University, and author of the widely-acclaimed book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, who discussed the use of force and key questions about the Bush doctrine of preemptive warfare in the post 9/11 world.

Mathews’ speech begins at approximately 23:45.