...THE US overcame the Soviet threat by making it clear that we would respond to an attack against an ally as if it were an attack against the US homeland. We also undermined the Soviet system from within by linking trade relations to progress in human rights. These two elements - a clear military commitment, and an emphasis on human rights - must form the core of a new, bold policy towards Iran as well: No tolerance for a nuclear Iran.

The US must commit to a military response in support of UN Security Council resolutions should Iran continue to flout them. The target should be not only Iran's nuclear facilities, but the main political institutions of the regime. We must force Teheran to hide its leaders as carefully as it has hidden its centrifuges, weakening the regime and giving strength to its many opponents.

Extend preemptive support to Israel. The US must commit to supporting Israel in the event that Israel decides to launch a preemptive strike against Iran, as it did against Iraq in 1981. Unlike a defense pact, which would allow Iran to attack before Israel or the US could respond, a preemptive guarantee would take the initiative away from Teheran and make it bear the full consequences of its present actions.

Develop human rights sanctions. Until now, sanctions have focused on the Iranian nuclear program. We need sanctions targeting Iran's abuses of human rights. The US must lead, because the UN Human Rights Council still refuses to act. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have introduced legislation providing for human rights sanctions. Passage must become an urgent priority.

The US must assist Iranians in their struggle for freedom. We must help Iranians help themselves by providing alternative media platforms and developing technology that can frustrate the regime's attempts at censorship. We must deny the Iranian government any semblance of legitimacy in international forums, and speak out forcefully at every opportunity on behalf of Iranian freedom.

THESE FOUR steps together form what I call the Neda doctrine, which is a simple acronym that also honors the memory of Neda Agha-Soltan, who was murdered last June as she attempted to join protests against Iran's fraudulent presidential election. Her example reminds us that our greatest and most courageous allies against the Iranian regime are the Iranian people...[More.]