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Ryan Crocker, Diplomacy, and the Iranian Elephant

(Commentary) Michael Rubin - Former U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker argued in the New York Times on Monday that talking with Iran works, based on his experience in Afghanistan. Yet it is important to consider what Crocker leaves out. While Crocker was holding talks with the Iranians in Kabul, President Bush received intelligence that Iran was creating a secret enrichment facility at Natanz. At the same time, Iran was busy seeking to smuggle in 50 tons of weaponry into Gaza. In effect, Crocker is like the blind man describing the elephant, willing to amplify the description of one aspect of Iranian behavior into wide-ranging conclusions, seemingly unaware that honest description of other parts of the beast suggested the opposite. The writer, a former Pentagon official, is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
2013-11-05 00:00:00
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