(Newsweek) Richard N. Haass - The nuclear talks are going nowhere. The Iranians appear intent on developing the means to produce a nuclear weapon; there is no other explanation for the secret uranium-enrichment facility discovered near Qom. The U.S., European governments, and others should shift their Iran policy toward increasing the prospects for political change. Leaders should speak out for the Iranian people and their rights. Iran's opposition should be supported by Western governments, not led. Critics will say promoting regime change will encourage Iranian authorities to tar the opposition as pawns of the West. But the regime is already doing so. Outsiders should act to strengthen the opposition and to deepen rifts among the rulers. This process promises the first good chance in decades to bring about an Iran that would act considerably better at home and abroad. The writer is president of the Council on Foreign Relations.
2010-01-25 08:37:35Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive