Kittrie addresses symposium at American University law school

Professor Orde Kittrie was a speaker at the First Annual National Security Law Brief Symposium, held on Thursday, April 22, at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.

Kittrie was a panelist on "U.S.-Iran Relations: Iran's Green Movement and the U.S. National Security Response." He was joined by Rudi Bakhtiar, a former anchor for Fox News and for CNN, Akbar Atri, an activist and founding member of the Iranian Students for Democracy and Human Rights, and Mariam Memarsadeghi, a human rights activist and expert on Iran and the Green Movement.

Kittrie began his remarks by outlining the current state of affairs with regard to Iran's nuclear program, and discussed U.S. policy options for responding to Iran's nuclear program. In doing so, he described how those options are impacted by the Green Movement and posed several questions as to how the Green Movement may be impacted by those policy options. Kittrie praised the Green Movement's commitment to human rights and democracy, but noted that "there is a perception, among many experts in D.C., that the Tehran Research Reactor deal of last fall between the West and Iran collapsed in part because the Green Movement attacked Ahmadinejad for it.

"I have heard considerable frustration," said Kittrie, "that the Green Movement's public figures, while a) seeking sympathy and support from the West, b) took the opportunity to criticize the Tehran Research Reactor deal as making too many concessions to the West."

Kittrie is the Director of the College of Law's Washington, D.C., Legal Externship Program and a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Law, Science & Innovation. His teaching and research focus on international law, especially nonproliferation and sanctions, and criminal law. Kittrie has testified on nonproliferation issues before both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and recently served as one of 12 members of a special Congressionally-created committee to make recommendations on how to better prevent the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Prior to joining the law faculty, Kittrie served for 11 years in the U.S. State Department, including as the lead attorney for nuclear affairs.

Janie Magruder, Jane.Magruder@asu.edu
(480) 727-9052
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law