Claudia Rosett Speaks on Iran and the UN

‘Iran at the UN: An Underreported Game of Influence’

SPEAKER: Claudia Rosett, Journalist-in-Residence at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies

TIME: 6 – 7pm, Monday 15th April 2013

VENUE: Committee Room 20, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

As allegations of human rights violations and an expanding nuclear program have piled up against Iran, the international community’s response thus far has been limited to sanctions. While many cheer the claimed crippling effect of these sanctions, very few have looked into the influence Iran has within the international organizations that designed them. Within the framework of the United Nations, Iran has positioned itself extraordinarily well by using its oil trade as leverage, securing seats on key agencies and boards, including at the head of the second-largest voting bloc in the General Assembly – the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement.

Should the United Nations’ stance on participation by members under sanctions be re-examined? Has Iran been successful at influencing the debate over its sanctions by using strategic placements on various agencies and other such bodies to its advantage? If sanctions are our only alternative other than armed intervention, then it is crucial to examine Iran’s role in shaping those sanctions.

By kind invitation of Bob Blackman MP, The Henry Jackson Society is pleased to invite you to a discussion with Claudia Rosett, Journalist-in-Residence with the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, where she heads the Investigative Reporting Project. Bringing important insights to the table from her investigative reporting, Rosett will shed light on the often overlooked reality of Iran’s status as a powerhouse at the UN. She will demonstrate just how deep Iran’s influence goes – from heading the Non-Aligned Movement to having seats on bodies like the UN Commission on the Status of Women and Unicef, despite their abhorrent records on both women’s and children’s issues – and how they have managed to get where they are while contributing relatively little to the UN’s expenses.