After Historic Talks, U.S. Seeks Action by Iran

Howard LaFranchi, excerpted from the Christian Science Monitor

May 30, 2007

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)

"For now, the U.S.-Iran dialogue suggests a new pragmatism."

The first public, senior-level talks between the United States and Iran in more than two decades were never going to be a lovefest. But the fact that the four hours of discussions on Iraq’s security took place at all Monday suggests how much each of the two avowed opponents–and indeed the top leader of each country–wanted them.

On the U.S. side, and for President George Bush, joining these talks signals a new determination to test all diplomatic avenues for bringing greater security and stability to Iraq. Beyond that, it heralds the rise of foreign-policy pragmatists within the US administration. Access the full article>>

In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

12/02/11: Discussion With Tunisia’s Rachid Ghannouchi —
12/02/11: Debating Military Action Against Iran —
12/02/11: Terms Of Disengagement —

Setting the Record Straight

Determined to Reach a Common Objective

“We knew at the outset that the task would be difficult. We acknowledged that publicly and privately. We knew this would be a road with many bumps— and there have been many bumps—and that continues to this day. But we are not deterred. We are, to the contrary, determined more than ever to proceed to realize the common objective, which we all share, of a Middle East that is at peace with security and prosperity for the people of Israel, for Palestinians, and for all the people in the region. We will continue our efforts in that regard, undeterred and undaunted by the difficulties, the complexities or the bumps in the road.”—George Mitchell, special envoy for Middle East peace, remarks with Prime Minister Netanyahu, September 29, 2010

Middle East Analysis

Don’t Panic. Yet —Issandr El Amrani (The Arabist)
The Islamists vs. The Markets: Egypt’s Election Analyzed —Haroon Moghul (Religion Dispatches)
What the Libya Intervention Achieved —Marc Lynch (Foreign Policy)

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