Daily Alert Archives

After Round One with Rouhani: Staying Focused on the Dynamics of Nuclear Bargaining

(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Emily B. Landau - As far as substance is concerned, Gary Samore, former White House coordinator for Arms Control and WMD, is quoted as saying that the Iranians have not offered the kind of concessions the U.S. is looking for. In his view, "the Iranian proposal appears to be pretty much boiled-over soup," and is an offer that is not fundamentally different from what was proposed when Ahmadinejad was president. Contrary to media portrayals, these negotiations should not be regarded as a give and take between two parties working to realize a shared goal. For over a decade the international community has striven to fix a problematic situation created by Iran. This crisis was created by Iran when it began to cheat on its commitment to remain non-nuclear according to the terms of the NPT. For years Iran has been working on a military nuclear program. Resolving the crisis is about one thing only: Iran withdrawing from its military ambitions in the nuclear realm. When Iran has come to the negotiations table, it has been to demonstrate a semblance of cooperation for the purpose of warding off the prospect of harsher steps. Being engaged in negotiations - which must be distinguished from negotiating in order to reach a deal - has sometimes proven useful to Iran as a means of gaining time to push its program forward. There is in fact no indication that the basic dynamic has changed. The international community is still trying to compel Iran to abandon its military ambitions, and Iran has shown no indication of wanting to do so. The writer is director of the Arms Control and Regional Security Project and a senior research fellow at INSS.
2013-10-18 00:00:00
Full Article