By Justin Logan
May 23, the permanent five members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany (P5+1) will enter into talks with the Iranian leadership about the latter’s nuclear program. The Baghdad talks come on the heels of talks last month in Istanbul. A number of observers have raised expectations for the talks in Baghdad. The latest hopeful [...]
Negotiations with Iran: What Has Changed? is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
Leaving the drama surrounding Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng behind in China, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Bangladesh last week with plans to advocate trade, democracy, increased security, and human rights. Clinton is the first Secretary of State to visit Bangladesh since 2003—a move that further underscores the U.S.’s priority for greater involvement in the Indo-Pacific region. Clinton’s visit coincided with mounting unrest in Bangladesh surrounding the mysterious disappearance of politician Ilyas Ali in mid-April. Clinton met with both Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed and her opposition … More
The former head of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency made news yesterday by blasting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu’s government for exaggerating the effectiveness of a possible military strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. Yuval Diskin, who retired last year after Netanyahu failed to renew his term in office, cast doubt on Netanyahu’s leadership: “I fear very much that these are not the people I’d want at the wheel.” What to make of this bitter political attack? First of all, it is a symptom of Israel’s increasingly polarized political environment in … More
Former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice implored U.S. negotiators to leave the option of a military strike on the table when they meet with Iranian officials in Istanbul this weekend to attempt to convince Tehran to abandon its nuclear weapons program. The negotiations will involve the United States, Great Britain, Germany, Russia, China, and France. American and European officials have been bearish on the prospects for the talks, though the White House insists “it’s a good first step.” “The most important thing we can do when we go … More
The long-moribund diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear program are slated to resume today in Istanbul between Iran and the P5-plus-1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany). There is little reason to expect a diplomatic breakthrough that will bring Tehran into compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions on the nuclear issue. Although Iranian diplomats have vaguely promised that they will unveil a new diplomatic initiative, it is likely to be little more than a ploy to buy time, ease sanctions, and drive wedges in the fragile … More
A delegation of officials from Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood met with White House officials Wednesday, according to a White House spokesman who stated that “we have broadened our engagement to include new and emerging political parties and actors.” The Muslim Brotherhood, long banned in Egypt after it sought to assassinate Egypt’s President Nasser in the 1950s, is poised to dominate Egypt’s new government after it emerged as the biggest winner in Egypt’s recent parliamentary elections. The Obama Administration has bent over backwards to demonstrate its good intentions toward the anti-Western Islamist … More
Iran continues to make steady progress in stockpiling supplies of increasingly highly enriched uranium far above the quantities that it needs for its civilian nuclear program. Yet the Obama Administration maintains that Tehran has not yet decided whether to build a nuclear weapon. This despite the fact that Iran continues to stonewall the investigations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), defy multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and shrug off a growing list of international sanctions. The Obama Administration’s optimistic reading of the state of Iran’s nuclear program is based … More
It is past the time that Washington will be able to find a means to resolve the confrontation with Iran that is “all gain, no pain.” And it should be clear that the fault for this lies clearly with the rulers in Tehran. They have become the single greatest obstacle to peace in the region and bringing freedom, peace, security, and prosperity to their own people. They have directed terrorist acts against other nations, including the Unites States. They have threatened to destroy other countries, including the U.S. They have … More
When President Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, the Iranian nuclear weapons program will top the agenda. Israel, which perceives a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential threat, has had a tumultuous relationship with the Obama Administration. However, this is an opportunity for President Obama to repair relations. A major challenge will be reconciling the two sides’ perceptions on Iran’s nuclear program. With time dwindling until Iran achieves nuclear capabilities, Israel is pressing the Obama Administration to take decisive action. Last month, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta speculated … More
Less than 1,000 miles from Jerusalem, the Iranian government is operating in open violation of international law in a singular pursuit of developing nuclear weapons. Under the cloud of this threat, Israel is considering all options in order to defend its very existence, yet President Barack Obama is failing to grasp the nature of the Iranian beast and has not offered Israel the resolute support it so desperately needs and deserves. Of course, the President’s record falls short of his rhetoric. In a speech yesterday to the annual American Israel … More
