February 12, 2018
The Trump Team’s Blinkered Obsession With the Iran Deal Is Poisoning the Well
When seemingly spontaneous protests erupted in cities across Iran, beginning in the last days of 2017, the prospect of a new, uncertain, and even hopeful chapter in the country’s tortured history seemed possible. But in Washington, there was little indication of change or opportunity. Instead, the same old debate about the Iran nuclear agreement unfolded.
As thousands of Iranians took to the streets, critics immediately bellowed that the protests proved that the Iran deal was a failure because it had not improved the lives of ordinary Iranians, or claimed that it legitimized the regime and was the reason such unrest had not come about earlier, practically blaming former President Barack Obama for the Islamic Republic’s continued existence.
Indeed, for many opponents of the Iran deal, it has become the single explanation for every (allegedly bad) decision Obama made on Middle East policy over his entire presidency, ranging from his restrained approach to the Green Revolution protests in Tehran in 2009 to his reluctance to become more militarily engaged in Syria. Such airbrushed history distorts the debate — and does little to illuminate what the United States should do next on Iran.
Read the full article in Foreign Policy.
More from CNAS
-
‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Everywhere Except the U.S.
Video
Global markets remained resilient as investors grow accustomed to President Trump's unorthodox military operations, viewing them as temporary shocks rather than long-term risk...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Gold Looks the Way to Play Weaker Dollar
Video
Gold rose to a record high — the 50th day it’s done so this year — on escalating geopolitical tensions and prospects for more US rate cuts. Silver also set an all-time peak. M...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
Chinese Demand for Oil Remains Key
Video
Oil advanced from its lowest level since 2021 after President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of sanctioned tankers off Venezuela. Rachel Ziemba, CNAS adjunct senior fellow an...
By Rachel Ziemba
-
After the Deal
Reports
Executive Summary More than two years have passed since the devastating October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas (a.k.a. Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya, or Islamic Resista...
By Delaney Soliday & Shivane Anand
