Diplomacy & Iran: when you want to change a bad situation, start by shutting up.

February 10, 12:46 PMForeign Policy ExaminerAimee Kligman

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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad PHOTO: AP

What a lovely piece of advice indeed, which was advanced by a most interesting article in the New York Review of Books,Volume 56, Number 2 aptly titled 'How to Deal with Iran'.

Now that Vice President Biden has made an overture of sorts toward Iran during his speech in Munich, and that Ari Larjani has acknowledged that the US has 'created some small windows of light toward the East', let us remember once again Obama's famous words of wisdom. You cannot use the same policies which have failed in the past and expect a different outcome.

It is an enormous step in America's continuing foreign policy education that it has recognized Iran's role not only in the Middle East region, but beyond, in regions that are crucial for the US such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. One of the central issues for the United States at the moment is the defeat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Pakistan. As it happens, Iran finds those two groups almost as unacceptable as we do. As stated in the above mentioned article, 'The Iranian government places a high priority on defeating al-Qaeda and the Taliban—extremist Sunni groups which it views as direct threats to Iran's Shiites—as well as on reducing Afghanistan's rampant drug trade'. Therefore, this would be a great topic of mutual interest that could get the ball rolling, and if President Obama is looking for an 'opening' as headlines are shouting, this is one of the best. 

There is nothing like having a common enemy to bring rapprochement between two nations. And this is the reason that Biden/Obama should not have threatened Iran regarding its nuclear ambitions. Iran does not have a bomb yet and we must not be influenced by other nations' hysteria if we want to advance our own security and causes. A military attack on Iran's facilities would bury any opportunity to engage them.

A fundamental change in Iran's nuclear program was proposed, and endorsed by Ahmadinejad himself, by bringing Iran’s uranium enrichment program under a multinational consortium including Iran and other governments, such as France and Germany, who would participate in managing and operating the program within Tehran. This would work well for all concerned because it would not transfer the enrichment to Russia, for instance, - an idea that was rejected by Tehran. But it would provide oversight by having the involvement of Western nations. 

It will be enormously difficult for the Obama administration to have its cake and eat it too. But just as Obama did with Syria, one can start with smaller steps, as in removing sanctions against Iran. This will make an enormous difference on the street in Tehran as far as opinion of the US. As we build more credibility and leverage, we can tackle stickier issues like Hamas and Hezbollah.