Guest Blog: How Obama can help the Iranian people

US Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, serves on the Finance, Judiciary and Budget Committees and is a past member of the Armed Services Committee. He serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee's Immigration, Refugees and Border Security subcommittee.

Last week's elections in Iran gave us a window into how the Iranian people view their own government, and showed us the brutal determination with which Teheran intends to maintain power. The elections showed millions of Iranians voting for new leadership, demanding greater freedom, and calling for an end to the policies that have isolated them from the world. These birth pangs of freedom renewed hope that a better future for the Iranian people was in the making.

A group protests in front of the White House
in support of protesters in Iran and to
condemn Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's
decision to suppress the protests, in Washington
Sunday, June 21, 2009. PHOTO:AP

Yet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims not only an electoral victory, but a new mandate. Due to likely election fraud, we may never know whether Ahmadinejad is truly the preferred choice of the people; we do know that he has the full support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the rest of the theocratic thugs who have controlled Iran for three decades. Clearly the regime has doubled down on its repressive policies at home and destabilizing activities abroad. 

President Barack Obama now has the opportunity and responsibility to put additional pressure on Teheran. Instead of soothing words and muted criticism, our President must show America's resolve to stand with the Iranian people, support our allies in the region, and strengthen international support for the expansion of freedom throughout the Middle East. Here's how he can do this:

First, the President must use his rhetorical gifts to inspire and encourage the Iranian people in their fight for liberty. In his remarkable speech in Cairo just a few weeks ago, the President renewed America's commitment to support democracy everywhere, in a broad and general way. Now is the time to get specific and back up these words with action. Now is the time for the President to use his international stature to condemn the brutal repression of the Iranian people, and commend the hundreds of thousands of brave souls fearlessly and peacefully standing for their freedom.

US President Barack Obama speaks at Cairo
University in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, June 4, 2009.
President Obama delivered the speech that he's
been promising since last year's election campaign
- aiming to set a new tone in America's
often-strained dealings with the world's 1.5 billion
Muslims. PHOTO:AP

Second, the President must connect the dots between the regime's brutal repression at home and its clear support for terror abroad. In Cairo, the President made only an oblique reference to Iran's terrorist activities, noting merely that the regime has "played a role" in hostage taking and violence against US troops. In fact, Teheran is the world's leading state sponsor of terror. Iran openly supports Hizbullah and Hamas, arms insurgents in Iraq, and calls incessantly for the destruction of Israel.  Iran's contempt for the human rights of innocents is not a policy initiative open to negotiation; it is a central feature of the Iranian revolution exercised most consistently against its own people.

Third, the President must make clear that America will never allow Iran's ruling elite to develop a nuclear weapon. In Cairo, he made the disturbing claim that "no single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons." He should have said the opposite. While America should work with international partners and through the International Atomic Energy Agency to address nuclear proliferation, at the end of the day America must choose which nations would represent unacceptable security risks if armed with nuclear weapons. The current regime in Teheran represents just such an unacceptable risk.

Fourth, the President should reaffirm America's commitment to Israel's security. The President's pointed criticism of Israel contrasts sharply with his delayed and detached comments on Iran's post-election brutality. Moreover, the President's focus on the dismantlement of Israeli settlements neglects the broader strategic context of Middle East peace. Israelis will more readily come to the negotiating table when they are confident in their security, and Palestinians will be better negotiating partners when Iranian-sponsored extremist groups have diminished influence. Thus reducing Iran's regional influence is the key to advancing Middle East peace, not the other way around.

President Obama does have new opportunities for diplomatic engagement on Iran, thanks largely to elections elsewhere. This month's elections in Lebanon represent a major setback for Iranian-backed Hizbullah. Furthermore, recent elections across the European Union swept center-right leaders into power. These new democratically-elected voices can help America counter Iran's regional ambitions and strengthen international sanctions against the regime.

Together, democratic leaders in the Middle East and beyond can offer hope to the Iranian people, and make clear that as they stand for their freedom, they will not stand alone.