Keeping Iran From Saying Yes

nationalinterest.org:

Imagine that you are a senior adviser to the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and have decided that sanctions and other pressures on Iran have accomplished exactly what they ostensibly are designed to do (to the extent that any such presumed purpose of the pressure can be discerned from what is coming out of Washington): to change minds among policy makers in Tehran about Iran's nuclear activities.

Read the whole story: nationalinterest.org

Comments

[abhorson]

07:17 AM on 02/14/2012

"Imagine that you are a senior adviser to the Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei"

ummm, I'd rather not even pretend ... I hear people get on all kinds of black-lists for a LOT less than that !!

[becky bradshaw]

08:45 AM on 02/13/2012

The NationalInterest.Org position is closely aligned with the policy of the Obama Administration during the first 3 years of his administration.

"President Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009 carrying an olive branch for Iran, determined to show the world that Washington would not play the villain in a relationship marked by blood and bitterness over three decades.

Obama chose his words with excruciating care in reaching out to Iran publicly and privately, including through secret letters to Iran's Supreme Leader. The new president emphasized he wanted a "new beginning" with a country that called the United States "the Great Satan" and was branded by his predecessor as part of an 'axis of evil.'"

(http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0113/Obama-s-Iran-policy-shifted-from-outreach-to-pressure-and-sanctions)

This strategy was not productive. Iran interpreted Obama as weak, and stepped up their nuclear program.

But there is still a opening for Iran. They can do all that has been asked by the International community, privately, with no cameras. Stop enriching uranium, and instead, let your long-term ally Russia do it for you (as they have offered). Stop testing nuclear weapon components. Come clean on past efforts, none of which are really a secret.

[fapescia]

05:26 AM on 02/13/2012

When it comes to what we should do with Iran I think we should listen to political figures who have accepted $50,000 to make a speech in favor of bombing Iran and delisting the MEK. Tom Ridge, Sheila Jackson Lee, Former DNC leader Howard Dean, Ed Rendell, and any other prominant speaker willing to promote their cause for money.

[PandaUnbound]

03:33 AM on 02/13/2012

Typical apologists for a terrorist country. Just appease iran and everything will be fine. iran wants nuclear weapons to allow it to take over the ME. obama is the worst president ever and will allow them to do it, if it doesn't interfere with his re-election. Regardless what we do, short of destroying their capabilities, iran will aquire nuclear weapons and then we will have another north korea on our hands. Except iran is far more dangerous than north korea. The problem with appeasing a rogue state, like iran is that it leads to miscalculations and that leads to war.

[RibEye]

09:37 PM on 02/13/2012

Such categorization of a country is open to debate, especially when reviewed without such blinding bias.

[abhorson]

07:21 AM on 02/14/2012

they're not apologists.... if you look further you'll find strong interests with well funded sources.

[fapescia]

02:20 AM on 02/13/2012

Netanyahu has put out the word to stop all the chatter. The previous strategy of having the myriad of Jewish organizations push for war is over.

In the future attacking Iran must be explained as a position embraced by the majority of Americans. It is possible to produce polls that show 52% of Americans support an American attack and ground invasion of Iran.

There should at least be a question about whether we are willing to go to any length to defend Israel. War with Iran is Israel's plan and since we are bonded with them with "no daylight" in our policies we are forced to have a war AIPAC demands.

[PandaUnbound]

03:35 AM on 02/13/2012

If iran destroys Israel, we are next. The question is whether we're willing to slit our own throats to appease the terroists.

[fapescia]

05:04 AM on 02/13/2012

You are resurrecting the old theory from Vietnam and Korea. Israel has nothing to do with the Domino Theory.

[mtnskypilot]

02:44 PM on 02/13/2012

Pls enlighten the world as to how Iran would destroy us. In fact, let's start with the easy question..... how would they destroy Israel..... possibly the most dangerous military in the world..... that already has nukes.

[streetmagik]

02:05 AM on 02/13/2012

oh please - if Iran wants to lower the temperature they can start by answering the IAEAs questions and giving them access to the military bases they want to see.

They can stop enriching uranium in ever higher levels in a bunker under a mountain.

They can stop their anti-semetic campaigning and outright hostility to all things America.

This writer has a bizarre premise - that the regime can't compromise because it would damage the regime politically - wait to they see how the collapse of their economy effects domestic politics.

If the regime has painted itself into a corner, it has only itself to blame. The Europeans were sitting down with them as far back as 10 years ago - they use negotiations to stall for time and just lied and played games - over and over and over again.

Now they have no credibility with anyone of any weight on the international stage. Meanwhile Ahmadinejad spent the next couple years spewing hatred, making threats and looking psycho.

If Iran wants to talk they can get a private message to Obama, and negotiations can begin in private while the temperature is dialed down in public - Obama is an adult.

But to say they can't compromise because it will look bad to their people is just stupid.

[Yasser Yousufi]

03:19 AM on 02/13/2012

oh please - if Iran wants to lower the temperatur­e they can start by answering the IAEAs questions and giving them access to the military bases they want to see.

***************************************************************************

Could we ask Israelis to do the same?? Or can we have atleast one day when a member of the Israeli or US regime does not threaten Iran with a war?

[fapescia]

04:57 AM on 02/13/2012

In order to secure their future Iran needs to obtain nuclear weapons. If Israel was willing to give up nuclear weapons and join the IAEA then Iran should do the same.

[breakingpoint]

01:14 AM on 02/13/2012

Iran trading gold with India for oil

[Nighthawlk]

12:41 AM on 02/13/2012

The best thing that the US to do [ for our own citizens ] is to stay out of the developing chaos. We don't need to be dragged into a war or another undeclared war. What Iran does or doesn't do is none of our concern until their actions directly affect our nation [within our borders].

If Israel is worried then they need to seek diplomatic peace with Iran. Those that say that Iran will not allow such diplomacy are confused or either wants a war and blame Iran.
I would say that the solution is in Israel's diplomacy. Whether Iran attacks Israel or not the US needs to remain neutral. After all, the Jewish deny their dependence on the US military might, so that must be correct. Israel can defend itself.

[shyhon]

01:45 AM on 02/13/2012

It is well past time for America to stop its role as the worlds policeman.
Other countries must learn to strive for peace and maintain their own countries without looking to the US for aide-whether in war or monetarily.

[mtnskypilot]

02:47 PM on 02/13/2012

f & f

[shergenius]

10:22 PM on 02/12/2012

Why is it ok for the us to have nuke and isral to have nukes but no other country is allowed to have/use them? Why do other countries need to pander to our demands?

[anton123]

12:44 AM on 02/13/2012

Form my perspective, it's not OK for Iran to have nukes as long as it contains to threaten Israel with annihilation every time Ahmadinejad opens his mouth and continues to support all major terrorist organization like Hamas and Hezbollah.
And nukes in hands of such religious fanatics is a threat to the entire world - because of their ties and supports of terrorism.
So I less concern with fairness for Iran to have nukes and more concern with well being of my children.
And if you did not notice - this is position of not only US and Israel, but pretty much all Western countries.

[REDSTATEREFUGEE]

09:54 PM on 02/12/2012

Here is a suggestion: Let the U.S. drop sanctions, which do not work anyway, and work through diplomatic back channels to inform the Iranians that, should they successfully attack Israel, we will turn their sand into glass. Unfortunately for the world, we are entering another Cold War scenario, where nuclear weapons one-ups-manship seems to be the rule of the day. I lived for most of my old life under the threat of U.S./Soviet nuclear exchanges. It looks as if we will have to continue to do so into the future. The Iranians will have their Bomb soon enough and then the Chinese will provide them aircraft for a delivery system.

[anton123]

12:45 AM on 02/13/2012

Sanctions are working.
Check this article from Iranian journalist.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/masoumeh-alinejad/post_2962_b_1260555.html

[streetmagik]

02:11 AM on 02/13/2012

Because Iran had a green revolution not so long ago that was put down. Since then the Arab spring has touched every other country in the region.

If they tank the Iranian economy they regime will be ripe for domestic overthrow...

[thankgodimanatheist8]

08:56 PM on 02/12/2012

BP (Nee Anglo-Iranian oil company) will not be satisfied until 99 cents of each dollar of British oil that just happens to be under Iran belongs to the Anglo-American imperialists the way it was before democratically elected prime minister, Dr. Mossadegh, nationalized Iranian oil in about 1951 (look it up - it could have been 1950), leading to his ouster in a CIA coup.

[mrdailydigger]

08:25 PM on 02/12/2012

Iran should produce a nuke. Its the only way everyone will be happy. Then everyone can either go to war or back down. It will probably be the latter because nobody wants a needless war where nukes could potentially be used...by both sides.

[Leon Engelun]

11:52 PM on 02/12/2012

nice thought, but Iran has made it clear it intends to kill all jews and all western world people. So do you really want them to have the nuclear capabilities?

[MikeKellsBeyond]

12:12 AM on 02/13/2012

Last I checked there are 30,000 jews living peacefully in Iran. There is even an Iranian Jew in their parliament. Keep gobbling up the western media lies. Ahmedinejad always refers to the "zionist regime" NOT the entire Jewish nation. He also always refers to the "American government" NOT the American people.

[Nighthawlk]

12:49 AM on 02/13/2012

Saying is not doing, nor do I believe that will happen unless Israel further provokes the Arab world through their actions. At least I do hope that Iranians think about their own children.

[syllepsis]

08:14 PM on 02/12/2012

"There is sadly no prospect for this dynamic to change any time soon, with a U.S. political environment in which, as Ted Galen Carpenter aptly describes, diplomacy with anyone we don't happen to like is disparaged as appeasement."

This is a perfect encapsulation of the Barack W. Bush foreign policy that has defined our millenium of FP failure after failure.

[Nighthawlk]

12:55 AM on 02/13/2012

Agreed. But ...why should the US even be envolved to start with.

[abhorson]

07:33 AM on 02/14/2012

because OIL is the blood of industry ... and since we don't live in the 18th century

[banderson2]

07:34 PM on 02/12/2012

The MIC has already started the conversation for war. CNN is putting on someone name O' Hanlon who has no military experience yet he gives three possible military scenarios regarding Syria. Rudolph Guilani on Fox who has never served in the military yet he is advocating violence. Where were these people during Vietnam.

[YankeeCanuck]

05:09 PM on 02/12/2012

Iran has said yes to the IAEA, let inspectors into their facilities, had positive meetings. The IAEA is satisfied. Why not the US and Israel?

[Donatella]

05:34 PM on 02/12/2012

Project for the New American Century.

[cincinnati]

08:48 PM on 02/12/2012

yup....as if 2 wildly expensive conflicts in
the ME were not enough $$$$$

it will take about 80 years just to pay them off $$$$$

[wwoody]

05:39 PM on 02/12/2012

Just because they said yes to everything.