Has the U.S. adopted a policy of regime change towards Iran? Government officials have sent different signals at different times.
In 2006, President George W. Bush called for a “free and democratic” Iran, which appeared to be an endorsement of regime change.
In 2013, President Obama explicitly disavowed a policy of regime change and referred to the country as the “Islamic Republic of Iran,” its post-revolutionary name, which was understood to convey recognition of the current Iranian leadership.
Most recently, the signals are mixed. “The Trump Administration has not adopted a policy of regime change, but there have been several Administration statements that indicate support for that outcome,” according to a newly updated report from the Congressional Research Service, which also takes note of the recent political protests in Iran. See Iran: Politics, Human Rights, and U.S. Policy, updated January 8, 2018.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Libya: Transition and U.S. Policy, updated January 8, 2018
The U.S. Export Control System and the Export Control Reform Initiative, updated January 8, 2018
A Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment: Background and Congressional Options, updated January 8, 2018
Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions, updated January 9, 2018
Budget Enforcement Procedures: The Senate Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Rule, updated January 9, 2018
Smart Toys and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, CRS Legal Sidebar, January 8, 2018
Protecting Consumers and Businesses from Fraudulent Robocalls, January 5, 2018
Drug Compounding: FDA Authority and Possible Issues for Congress, January 5, 2018
Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence), CRS In Focus, updated January 3, 2018
Of course badly designed regulatory approaches can block progress or dry up the supply of public goods. But a theory of the whole regulatory world can’t be neatly extrapolated from urban zoning errors.
If space is there, and if we are going to climb it, then regulatory reform must be a challenge that we are willing to accept, something that we are unwilling to postpone, for a competition that we intend to win.
To what extent does EPA have ready access to data to measure drinking water compliance reliably and accurately?
Our Director of Government Affairs gives you the skinny on the latest from the Hill and White House – and what it means for S&T policy.