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Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710851427&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
Tehran's Stake in Regional Insecurity
[Jerusalem Post] Jonathan Spyer - Seeking Iranian cooperation in dealing with the urgent situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan looks set to form a cornerstone in the U.S. policy of engagement with Tehran. Yet in the larger, strategic arena, Iran operates according to the dictum that America's difficulty is Iran's opportunity. Ample evidence points to Iranian covert assistance to the Afghan insurgents engaged in war against NATO forces in the country. So while the Iranians will be happy to talk if invited to, the talking will take place simultaneously with continued Iranian assistance to forces engaged in killing U.S. troops. The U.S. thinks that Tehran "should" support regional security and stability. The problem is that support for violence and insurgency brings with it myriad advantages to the Iranian regime. The Western powers, prevented from attaining their objectives, appear weak and helpless. The enemy, bogged down in conflicts elsewhere, has less time and capital to spend on containing Iranian ambitions. The writer is a senior researcher at the Global Research in International Affairs Center, IDC, Herzliya.