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Why Some U.S. Allies Disapprove of the Iran Agreement

(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) James F. Jeffrey - Many of Washington's Middle East partners have reacted negatively to the new "first-step" agreement with Iran. Middle Eastern allies are increasingly questioning whether America is serious about running an international security system from which it benefits and by which they literally survive. They see indecision and seeming antipathy about how to confront certain regional threats in Washington's shifting positions, including openly leading from behind on Libya, rooting for the ouster of a thirty-year ruler in Egypt, and backing down at the last minute from bombing Syria. Once this type of questioning begins, the trust that is essential to any close relationship is replaced by suspicion. Of course, Washington cannot run a global security system without making tactical agreements with foes, at times nourished with compromises, particularly at a time when numerous polls show that many Americans oppose new military action in the region. But such agreements and their attendant compromises are only acceptable to our regional partners if Washington simultaneously demonstrates resolve, toughness, and, if necessary, a willingness to fight. Above all, the next time a crisis looms, the administration should not give the impression that job one is avoiding any military response, however limited, justified, and minimally risky. The writer served as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor in the George W. Bush administration, with a special focus on Iran, and as principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department.
2013-11-29 00:00:00
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