Today, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will speak to the United Nations General Assembly. He will make predictably odious statements, and they will be seized upon by conservatives in the U.S. as evidence that the U.S. should abandon its policy of engaging the Iranian regime. These critics should be ignored. Conservatives who argue for abandoning engagement are stuck in the failed policies of the past: unilateral and unrealistic sanctions, useless saber-rattling, and wild notions of regime change. This stance defies the opinions of top military leaders and leading Iran experts. While the U.S. must be ready to deploy internationally backed pressure if needed, the best means forward with Iran is to stay committed to the policy of engagement.

More »

The Obama administration set the end of September as a deadline for Iran to accept talks over its nuclear program or face greater sanctions. The lessons of the last eight years make it clear that Iran can withstand unilateral US sanctions and maneuvers --only a unified international community can have an effect.  Engagement remains the best way of forcing a decision from the regime – either move in a new direction offered by the Obama administration or face consequences from a united international community.The Obama administration set the end of September as a deadline for Iran to accept talks over its nuclear program or face greater sanctions. The lessons of the last eight years make it clear that Iran can withstand unilateral US sanctions and maneuvers --only a unified international community can have an effect.  Engagement remains the best way of forcing a decision from the regime – either move in a new direction offered by the Obama administration or face consequences from a united international community.   

More »

The inauguration of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a second presidential term earlier this monthhas not dissipated discontent with the regime or ended political turmoil. Political and religious leaders have organized behind the scenes and opposition leaders continue to make explosive allegations against the government.
This coming month, the fractious regime will be pushed back into the international spotlight. A clogged September calendar will see Iran dominate the agenda of international meetings in Frankfurt, Vienna, Pittsburgh, and New York. Despite Iran’s political uncertainty, engagement remains the best way of forcing a decision from the regime – either move in a new direction offered by the Obama administration or face consequences from a united international community. 

More »

More »

Iran erupted this weekend following claims from the regime that President Ahmadinejad had been overwhelming reelected. Supporters of the main opposition candidate, former Prime Minister Mir Hussein Moussavi, quickly took to the streets in protest. The regime has cracked down brutally, detained many opposition leaders, placed Moussavi under watch, evicted and detained foreign journalists, and attempted to block protestors ability to communicate and organize by blocking text messaging and internet access.

More »

Iranians have turned out in huge numbers to vote in their presidential election today. The major storyline thus far has been the tremendous outpouring of support for challenger Mir Hussein Moussavi.While emphasizing economic reforms and political and personal freedoms, his supporters have also repudiated the approach of Ahmadinejad and expressed their desire for improved relations with the west – particularly with the United States. President Obama’s election, and his efforts to engage the region and establish a relationship built on mutual respect, have resonated.Yet conservatives who once longingly looked for democracy to emerge in Iran are now changing their tune in an effort to salvage their discredited hard-line approach toward Iran, arguing that the presidency is irrelevant and the outpouring on the streets doesn’t matter because the elections are not entirely free and fair.

More »

Tomorrow, Iranians will head to the polls, in what has been widely billed as a historically unprecedented presidential election.Yet many conservatives are attempting to paint the election as a pivotal moment for Obama’s engagement strategy, asserting that if Ahmedinejad wins Obama will have to abandon his current approach.  Whatever the election’s outcome, its immediate impact on Iranian foreign policy will be limited. Meanwhile, the underlying fundamentals will not change:  eight years of bluster and attempts to isolate Teheran failed.  

More »

As the U.S. prepares to rejoin multilateral talks with Iran, President Ahmadinejad responded to American overtures by announcing preparation of a new set of proposals to try to end the standoff between Iran and the West over Iran’s uranium enrichment program.  The devil will be in the details, but this appears to be a positive step.And as was promised during the campaign, the President’s team is rebuilding a consensus strategy in the international community and reportedly preparing a strategy that recognizes that making the full suspension of uranium enrichment a precondition for any negotiations is a recipe for guaranteed failure. 

More »

Fewer than 50 days into his Presidency, Barack Obama has begun to set a different framework for how America deals with the Middle East. There is no question that today America’s choices and flexibility in the region are far greater than they were only 50 days ago.

More »

Today Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will speak before the U.N. General Assembly. For years Iran’s leader has brandished hate-filled language that fully deserves the world’s condemnation. But President Bush and his allies, like John McCain, have used this as an excuse to continue a failed approach based on hollow saber rattling that has done nothing to constrain Iran’s nuclear development and its growing regional influence.

More »