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How Iran Is Winning the War of Words

(Ha'aretz) Emily B. Landau - Iranian spokesmen incessantly repeat certain messages until they begin to sound like accepted common knowledge. This tactic has been employed regarding statements that Iran has an "inalienable right" to enrich uranium; that the international community accuses Iran of working on a military program but has never come up with evidence to support this; that Iran has answered all outstanding questions to the satisfaction of the IAEA; and that Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons. These statements are either untrue or only partially true, but by incessantly repeating them, Iran intends to make them sound absolutely true. When demands are directed at Iran, Iran simply turns them around and fires them right back at the international community. So, if the international community says it needs to have confidence in Iran, Iran says it needs to have confidence in the international community. And if Iran needs to show its seriousness in the negotiation, Iran says the international community must demonstrate that it is serious. Iran violated its commitment to the international community not to work on a military nuclear program, leading to the imposition of sanctions. The negotiations should be about compelling Iran to return to its commitments. Yet today they appear to be about both sides having to make concessions, as if both sides are equally at fault. The writer is a senior research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University.
2013-11-08 00:00:00
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