Big Ideas for a New America: Time for a Grand Bargain with Iran

The next U.S. president, whether it is John McCain or Barack Obama, should reorient American policy toward the Islamic Republic of Iran as fundamentally as President Nixon transformed American policy toward the People's Republic of China in the early 1970s. In this video, Flynt Leverett and Hilllary Mann Leverett explain how such a strategic shift could be accomplished -- and outline the many potential benefits for the United States. Learn more here: www.NewAmerica.net/bigideas

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News & Politics

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• Iran
• New
• America
• Foundation
• Foreign
• Policy
• Oil
• Energy
• WMD
• Middle
• East

[RevoltAgainstLies]

That is as clueless a statement as I've ever read. Didn't the Iranian people also see Bush as an opportunity for a regime change at home? If anything, Obama will appease said government due to geopolitical necessities, considering that Brzezinski (who replaced the Shah with Khomeini in the first place) wishes to embrace Iran to deflect Russia and China.

[RevoltAgainstLies]

Considering Iran's multiple alliances with states like Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Venezuela, certain EU and Southeast Asian nations in the energy sectors, and considering that Iran is the second largest holder of both oil and natural gas, it is clear that the US needs Iran MUCH MORE than Iran needs the US. Hence the plea by Leverett and Mann, as well as Brzezinski and Kissinger...

[DerafsheKavian]

It is not the US policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran, rather the US policy towards Iran as a whole. That is the people of Iran, the establishment, Irans history, culture, ... US sees Iran as an independent pole of power and wants out of the way. I think the interests of Iran and the legitimate interests of US are aligned to a good extent. This primitive ideologically driven Iran-bashing policy of US is not benefiting the US public in any way. Mr. Leverett is has a point.

[rp03bs1]

Bargaining with Iran may serve American interests but will devastate the hopes of the Iranian people who detest their government and see the election of Obama as an opportunity for a regime change.

[mike4ty4]

We also need to decrease our suspicions and paranoia, e.g. about their nuclear program. What if they really _are_ just doing it for peaceful electric power? Then we should not have a problem with it.

Also, the "massive hydrocarbon reserves" are not our property, nor should we treat them as though we have an entitlement to them. (If anything we need to be moving to a post-hydrocarbon system.)

[RibEye4]

As they mentioned in thier talks even Israel would be for such a bargin. There maybe political domestic backlash that a statesman pushing this bargin could face in the US.

But would not that backlash be as a direct influence of the Israel-lobby??

Doesn't it show that AIPAC (which would like war as number one option) ultimately is not even beneficial to the security of Israel.

They have more open debates in Israel about criticizing the Israeli government than we have here about Israel.