The winds of fortune in the Iranian nuclear standoff seem to have shifted, judging by the U.S.' new confidence. But in Washington's apparent quest to get an upper hand, misreading the causes of the backlash in Iran against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may cause the...
What if Iran Suspends? A Western Dilemma
As the Feb. 21 deadline for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program fast approaches, both Iran and the West are scrambling to prepare themselves for all possible moves by the other side. A scenario causing some discomfort among decision-makers in the George W....
Bush’s Iraq Plan – Goading Iran Into War
WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush's address on Iraq Wednesday night was less about Iraq than about its eastern neighbor, Iran. There was little new about the U.S.'s strategy in Iraq, but on Iran, the president spelled out a plan that appears to be aimed at...
Italy Boosts Talks on Iran, but Real Test Lies Ahead
After a tense week in which several U.S. allies broke ranks with the George W. Bush administration on Iran, an agreement has been reached to give diplomacy a bit more time. Realizing the futility in pushing for sanctions against Iran in the Security Council with...
EU and Iran Find Their Roles Reversed
Scheduled talks between Javier Solana, high representative for the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy, and Iran's National Security Adviser Ali Larijani were postponed Wednesday over disagreements on the nature of the exchange – would the parties...
Israel Readies for Iran Showdown by Attacking Lebanon
As the fighting between Israel and the Hezbollah persists, an Israeli strategy of enlarging the conflict seems to be crystallizing. Neoconservative pundits in the U.S. have pointed an accusatory finger at the usual suspect – Tehran – arguing that Hezbollah...
Israel Fears High Price for US Strike on Iran
Israel has seldom been as quiet on Iran as in the last three months. Though Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has pursued a policy of reducing Israel's visible involvement in the Western campaign to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions – "work hard and say less,"...
Gulf States Rethink US-Led Security Alliance
Amid increasing tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran's nuclear program, the George W. Bush administration is courting the Persian/Arab Gulf monarchies with the same proposal it offered them 15 years ago after the first Gulf War – purchase U.S. armory...