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The Mullahs Aren't Going to Charm Anyone for Very Long

(Foreign Policy) Aaron David Miller - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already expressed serious concern about wily Iranian mullahs bearing gifts. Either there will be a very good deal that will take care of both U.S. and Israeli concerns on the nuclear issue, or there will be no deal at all. Here's why. In his recent address to the UN General Assembly, the president identified two key foreign policy priorities in his second term: Iran and the Palestinians. Israel sits at the nexus of both. Managing, let alone resolving, those issues requires close understandings with Israel. To put it more bluntly, if Obama is to have any hope of avoiding war with Iran on the nuclear issue, he will have to keep Israel close. The mullahs aren't going to charm anyone for very long, let alone transform public attitudes in Israel or America, without significant and tangible deliverables. And that's not going to happen quickly or easily given the withholding nature of the Supreme Leader. The alert level on the Iranian charm offensive is incredibly high, and Obama is likely to be cautious and risk averse when it comes to the nuclear issue. Besides, there's no issue that unites Congress like its mistrust of Iran. The writer is vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
2013-10-01 00:00:00
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