Iran

Nuclear Détente With Iran: Here’s What Could Disrupt It Before It Gets Going

By Jofi Joseph

Almost a month has passed since Iran and six major powers agreed on some first steps to address international concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and provide limited sanctions relief to Iran. However, implementing those confidence-building measures (CBMs) has yet to begin and no date has been given for an official start to the six-month period […]

Rouhani’s first one hundred days

By Yasmin Alem and Barbara Slavin

Cautious domestic reforms and nuclear breakthrough After eight turbulent years during which conservatives monopolized Iranian politics, the election of centrist cleric Hassan Rouhani on June 14, 2013, marked a new chapter in post-revolutionary Iranian politics. In the latest Iran Task Force issue brief, “Rouhani’s First One Hundred Days: Cautious Domestic Reforms and Nuclear Breakthrough,” authors […]

This Week in South Asia: December 7-13

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week.

Congress Avoids Clash on Iran Sanctions But Road Ahead Uncertain

By Barbara Slavin

Congress appears poised to give the Barack Obama administration some early Christmas gifts as it finishes its work for the year. A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House and Senate on Tuesday reached a budget compromise that, if passed by both bodies, would avert the threat of another government shutdown in early 2014. Meanwhile, a […]

This Week in South Asia: November 30 – December 6

Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week.

Diplomacy to the Rescue

By Nicholas Burns

Colin Powell, America’s premier soldier-statesman, put it best. Diplomats, he said, are “the first line of offense of America’s foreign policy.” With his military background, Powell understood better than most that diplomacy has always been an important, if not vital, American strength in dealing with a dangerous and unpredictable world.

Iran Deal Won’t Be a Repeat of North Korea

By Barbara Slavin

In the aftermath of the Geneva accords constraining Iran’s nuclear program, some critics of the deal have compared it to the 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea that fell apart in 2002 and ended with the North building and testing nuclear weapons. This criticism ignores major differences between Iran – a large, influential country that relies […]

Nine US Diplomats See Interim Deal as Good for Israel

By Nicholas Burns

The interim deal with Iran on its nuclear program has prompted some legitimate questions about whether such a deal is in the interest of Israel, a vital US ally. I joined eight other former American ambassadors to Israel and former under secretaries of State in writing a letter that answers that question: We believe the […]

Lavrov Asks If NATO Planning to ‘Put Itself in Ukraine?’

By State Department

There was also a discussion of Ukraine initiated by Foreign Minister Lavrov reacting to the NATO public statement yesterday of support for the wishes for the Ukrainian people, asking whether NATO was planning to put itself in Ukraine.

The Nuclear Deal with Iran and the Law of Unintended Consequences

By Harlan Ullman

The Thanksgiving holiday and the consumer shopping frenzy over “Black Friday” last week temporarily captured America headlines obscuring for a brief spell, the nuclear deal that, if consummated, will assure Iran will not develop nuclear weapons. But make no mistake. Debate over the agreement signed by the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran will fill […]