[Slate] Christopher Hitchens - Might it be possible that this latest initiative from Tehran is yet another attempt to buy time or run out the clock? This seems like another snow job from the mullahs. Professor Abbas Milani, the director of Iranian studies at Stanford University, notes: "When you read [the Iranian letter] and realize how empty of earnest negotiating positions it in fact is, you are left with no choice but to conclude that they are relying on their ally in Putin's Russia to veto any resolutions against them. For the Russians to be able to even pretend to be serious in their talk of no need for more pressure on the regime, Tehran has also to pretend to be serious in negotiation." This analysis appears to conform to all the available facts as we know them.
2009-09-18 08:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive