The Iran Consensus Posted by Ilan Goldenberg

I have a new piece up on the American Prospect on Iran.  The basic point:

in a feat that defies conventional wisdom, Barack Obama is more than just holding his own against John McCain. When it comes to Iran he has the American public and most foreign policy experts squarely behind him.

Comments

[Don Bacon]

Your article is chock full of erroneous conventional wisdom, and real short on facts.

Talking to Iran, no problem, but talk about what?
"greater economic incentives and regular diplomatic relations in exchange for greater cooperation" Iran has oil and gas, and fine diplomatic relations with all its neighbors, plus India, Russia and China. Also with Switzerland, with which it recently signed a gas contract, and Italy, which it has extensive business dealings.

Iran's intransigence? It is the US and Israel which has threatened Iran with attack for continuing its uranium enrichment, which is perfectly legal, and even encouraged, under the NPT.

Talk to Iran to bring its nuclear program under an international verification regime with the goal of it eventually being eliminated? Its program IS under full IAEA inspection and the IAEA has reported full compliance -- no deviation of enriched uranium.

Talk to Iran on the question of Iraq? What question? Iran is the big winner of the Iraq war. Do you think talk is going to change that simple fact? As you say, it has expanded its influence into Iraq, Afghanistan and across the Middle East. Do you think they'll give that up in talks? Iranian regime is still playing a malign role in Iraq?" Then why did Maliki go running off to Tehran over the US-proposed SOFA?

As usual, a DA America-firster has failed to accept the new reality that the US is noo longer in any position to affect much of anything, except with fruitless bombing. Particularly in the Middle East, the diplomacy is now in the hands of countries like Qatar, Egypt, France and Turkey. The feckless US State Department wouldn't be able to negotiate anything even if there were anything to negotiate, which there isn't. In any talks, the US would be sitting at the table with a pair of treys while Iran has a full house.

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