August 15th, 2008 by Amanda

The U.S. and Iran may be approaching a ‘cold peace’ according to Arshin Adib-Moghaddam at the Daily Star. He opines on the impetus; “states and societies, especially in the wider Arab and Muslim worlds, feel compelled to protect themselves from this penetrative source of instability, not least because governments are increasingly scrutinized by assertive civil societies from Cairo to Riyadh. These have made it that much more difficult for authoritarian states to favor regime survival over national interest. “

As both nations move toward apparent rapprochement, some posit that Isreal’s message is not necessarily consistent with U.S. policy. At TPM Cafe, M.J. Rosenberg points out an editorial by Haaretz suggesting that “Israel must allow diplomatic efforts to move ahead,” but he also clarifies that Washington policymakers are attempting to push through legislation implementing sanctions on the Persian nation while concurrently “playing down the military option.”

Posted in Diplomacy, Iran, Israel, US foreign policy |