Established in February 2005, the Iran Policy Committee (IPC) is comprised of former officials from the White House, State Department, Pentagon, intelligence agencies, and experts from think tanks and universities.
IPC, a nonprofit and bipartisan organization based in Washington DC, believes that for too long, policy debate on Iran has been divided between those who favor engagement with and those who support military strikes against the Iranian regime. President George W. Bush advocates working with the Iranian people as opposed to the regime in Tehran and has explicitly called for ending tyranny in Iran.
By calling for change in Tehran based on Iranians instead of Americans, IPC stresses the potential for a third alternative: Keep open diplomatic and military options, while providing a central role for the Iranian opposition to facilitate democratic change.
Iran has emerged as a primary threat against the United States and its allies: Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weapons, continuing support for and involvement with terrorist networks, support for groups in opposition to the Arab-Israel peace process, disruptive role in Iraq, expansionist radical ideology, and denial of basic human rights to the Iranian population are challenges confronting U.S. policymakers.
IPC enters the debate in Washington over Iran policy by think tanks that also published reports on Iran—Council on Foreign Relations, The Committee on the Present Danger, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (TWI). In trying to solve the puzzle posed by Iran, the IPC goes beyond these organizations to suggest a central role for the Iranian opposition in U.S. policymaking.
Members of the IPC: R. Bruce McColm; Lt. General Thomas McInerney USAF (ret.); Captain Charles T. “Chuck” Nash, USN (ret.); Lt. General Edward Rowny, USA (ret.); Professor Raymond Tanter; Major General Paul E. Vallely, USA (ret.).
Contributions payable to the Iran Policy Committee (IPC) are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Committee is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and is publicly supported as described in 509(a)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Committee’s IRS identification number is 20-2883425