Iran – U.S.: The Case for Transformation | Essay by Sanam Anderlini and John Tirman

Is it possible for Iran and the United States to enter into a new era of diplomatic relations where both work to end the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and make progress towards Israeli-Palestinian peace?  Labeled an “axis of evil” by President Bush in 2002, the American public has primarily seen Iran as a looming nuclear threat, funder of terrorism, and nemesis of Israel.  According to academics Sanam Anderlini and John Tirman, at the MIT Center for International Studies, the isolation of Iran by the United States has worked against U.S. interests in the region and around the world.  There is great potential and necessity to transform U.S. diplomatic relations with Iran.    Audit of the Conventional Wisdom: Iran - U.S.: The Case for Transformation. The question, the authors point out, is not if Iran and the United States can find common ground for transformative diplomacy (there is plenty of it). Rather, it is if either country has the “political acumen” necessary to accomplish the task.  Thirty years of mistrust and incendiary rhetoric on both sides have made “ending the standoff” the most precarious first-step towards improving relations. Isolationism has not worked, and small steps and private diplomacy have yet to yield comforting results.  The future of Iran – U.S. relations may require bold new U.S. leadership willing to prompt a breakthrough such as that between Gorbachev and Reagan in the 1980s.  A confident public move by the United States to advance diplomatic efforts may not yield direct applause from the Persian capital, but would qualify as a transformative step in the right direction. Milad Tower, Tehran. Flickr photo by Hamed Saber used under a Creative Commons license.