How Diplomacy with Iran Can Succeed

As Iranians go to cast their ballots in Friday's elections, it is much more than just Iran's future that is at stake. The White House is closely following the elections, as is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli Prime Minister may be watching Washington's reaction to the results more than the results themselves since his meeting with President Barack Obama last month confirmed that they are likely to bring different approaches to the critical problems facing the Middle East. While the President will base his Middle East policy on diplomacy to resolve conflicts, particularly with Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be pressing for tight timelines on diplomacy and for tough action sooner rather than later.

The President would be well advised to pursue his chosen strategy with the intent to succeed -- not fail -- and the most critical factor will be time. There are those urging hard and fast deadlines on the President for diplomacy with Iran -- both here and in Israel -- who do not aim to see diplomacy succeed but to use its failure to justify harsher measures.

One cannot help but be reminded of recent examples when a failure to provide adequate time damaged U.S. policy in the Middle East. In the rush to war in Iraq in 2002, despite pleas from UN inspectors to give weapons inspections time to prove they were in fact working, President Bush called for the removal of international inspectors to make way for "shock and awe." Allowing time for the non-military option to work could have saved tens of thousands of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars and the international reputation of the United States.

Similarly, the lack of adequate time to prepare and pursue diplomacy was one reason why President Clinton's push for Israeli-Palestinian peace failed under tight time constraints at the end of his term.

History argues strongly for President Obama to resist pressure to set arbitrary deadlines for diplomacy with Iran - as he did again on Monday. While we agree with the President that talks cannot be open-ended, the focus should be on how to make diplomacy succeed rather than debating when to declare it a failure. Successful diplomacy will require international cooperation -- with Israel and with other actors -- and an exquisite sense of timing as to when to push, when to listen and when to wait.

Failure to give diplomacy the attention and time it needs could have dire consequences for key U.S. interests: the stability of Iraq and Afghanistan, the global nonproliferation regime, and the prospects for peace between Israel and its neighbors. That is why the administration's diplomatic approach towards Iran must be designed to ensure success, not just to position us for other steps after an eventual break-down.

Similarly, efforts to impose new sanctions on Iran even before diplomacy has begun will only undermine President Obama's agenda in the Middle East. Sanctions can play a role in our approach to Iran, but they should not be permitted to interfere with and complicate the diplomatic path President Obama has set forth. We applaud the clear message sent by Foreign Affairs Chairman Howard Berman when he promised not to move new sanctions legislation through the House in the near future.

Just as no President would take America to war without being fully committed to leading the country to victory, neither should diplomacy be embarked on without America's complete commitment to that strategy.

Diplomacy with Iran will not be easy, but it is necessary. Iran rests at the nexus of many of the complex problems facing the Middle East and American interests there. The various conflicts in the Middle East cannot be compartmentalized. Each affects the other, and, as President Obama has recognized, a comprehensive solution is needed.

With so much riding on this difficult challenge, America must realize that missing the opportunity to find a diplomatic solution is not an option. The elections result may help pave the way. Fortunately, even if the election results are not to Washington's liking, there is nothing about the challenge posed by Iran that should preclude a diplomatic solution. The trick, we must realize, will be to avoid setting up roadblocks to our own success.

Comments

[StMTraveler]

The two factors are time and logical process to create success. The emphasis has been placed solely on Iran. The three-steps required are:
1: Nuclear Fuel Cycle Iranian Consortium;
USA should join the consortium to actively monitor the Iranian fuel cycle activity. IAEA has consistently asserted that the agency could not find any indications that Iran is diverting the fuel cycle for nuclear bomb development.
2: Nuclear Shield;
An international nuclear shield must protect all nations in the Middle East, including Iran;
3: A nuclear- bomb-free Middle East;
This action will remove any pressure from Iran to develop nuclear bomb in the future for deterrence against nuclear bomb Israeli state.
A nuclear shield from the nuclear bomb state would remove the requirement of countries owning their nuclear bomb for deterrence against those who have the bomb.
Mrs. Clinton had previously stated her position on use of nuclear bomb by Iran, a country that does not have the bomb, against Israel. This position should be expanded to cover all nations in the Middle Eastern region, including Iran.
Israel must joint NPT. Irrespective of what Israel acknowledges about her nuclear bombs, a government report prepared by the technical staff of US-Air force, has documented that indeed Israel has nuclear bombs. An international political and economical pressure would force Israel to eliminate her nuclear bombs. I suggest unless we follow some steps like those I have identified, the issue of nuclear non-proliferation would be dead.

[ModernTimes1]

Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer is a timeless adage.
It is very important to engage diplomatically with Iran at all times.
At the same time marginize Iranian regional ambitions around the Middle East.
And maintain ideological struggle with aims and goals of Iranian police state.

Worked with USSR. Will work with Iran. Eventually. And yes, patience is important.

[StMTraveler]

Iranian police state?
Many Iranians remember the Shah's secret police, Savak. It was a well trained force by USA and Israel to subdue Iranian people. They were responsible for creating the unrest among the population leading to the Iranian revolution in 1979.

[persianadvocate]

I see a twinkle in the eyes of every Iranian yearning from the depths of their souls for that one glorious virtue granted to every human being from the day his or her heart begins beating. I feel the electrifying pulse of the chants from the twelve mile long human chain venting their heart-felt desires to love and live freely from the shackles of oppression. I hear our ancestral king Cyrus' voice booming over the peaks of the Alborz mountains, stirring swiftly the clouds of liberty so that freedom may rain. I smell a new beginning.

I will not give up hope on my fellow Iranians if Ahmadinejad somehow wins the election tomorrow. I will not give up the fight until my last exhausted breath; only then, will I begin to fight!

[persianadvocate]

Some of my most visceral memories in life are from events during the weeks leading up to November 4, 2008. In particular, I will always remember standing amongst thousands of other individuals supporting something which felt eternally true to me. There are few things in life that are as awesome as a sea of people united in a struggle against ... Read Moreinjustice. Seeing the recent images of Mousavi rallies I feel a kinship with his supporters that is indescribable. I am incredibly humbled by their courage and passion, because their battle is undoubtedly much more difficult than any I have faced. Their dreams are mine tonight. My words to them would be those of Martin Luther King Jr.: "I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man."

[Pye Ian - Huffpost Blogger]

A lucid, thorough, timely, and necessary article. Re-instituting US-Iranian ties is VITAL to both American and Iranian interests, and the Iranian election tomorrow is critical.

America's domestic and international interests are too important to continue down the road of the past 30 years...