2008: The Iran Question

In a column for Newsweek, recently-retired no. 3 official in the State Department Nicholas Burns makes the case for talking to our enemies, specifically recommending this strategy vis-a-vis Iran.  Anne Bayefsky of the National Review makes the exact opposite argument.  Reihan Salam, writing in Forbes, sees an Iran “in a state of slow-motion collapse” reminiscent of the Soviet Union just before perestroika. He moves the focus away from the debate over talking to our enemies and the Iranian nuclear program, instead recommending to the next president that “the most important step would be to launch a comprehensive campaign on behalf of Iranian political prisoners and independent labor unions and student groups” and to boldly “stand up for human rights in Iran”.