The Battle For Iran, (Boston Globe)…John Tirman, Nov 29, 2008.
THE BATTLE for Iran is on – for Iran policy, that is – and a ferocious contest is in store. The combatants are former policy makers, scholars, and think tanks. They are issuing position papers and holding press conferences. On the front line of the contest are those with carrots and those with sticks, the ages-old choice in foreign affairs. Fortunately, history and circumstances provide a clear preference.
… “sticks” team … The Bipartisan Policy Council and United Against Nuclear Iran both see the nuclear weapons threat from Iran as imminent, particularly threatening our ally, Israel.
The other side – the “carrots” team – is a mirror image of former officials and scholars. They also regard a nuclear-armed Iran as a deplorable outcome, but their approach is far more reliant on a new diplomacy. One of the most prominent of these initiatives, the Joint Experts’ Statement on Iran …
Extracts: Joint Experts’ Statement on Iran — Five Key Steps the United States Should Take to Implement an Effective Diplomatic Strategy with Iran:
1. Replace calls for regime change with a long-term strategy:
2. Support human rights through effective, international means:
3. Allow Iran a place at the table – alongside other key states – in shaping the future of Iraq, Afghanistan and the region:
4. Address the nuclear issue within the context of a broader U.S. – Iran opening:
5. Re-energize the Arab-Israeli peace process and act as an honest broker in that process: Israel’s security lies in making peace with its neighbors.
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