Dealing with Iran

Today's Washington Post has two very interesting articles on American policy toward Iran. The first discusses the Bush Administration's moves to make its Iran policy less about public denouncements of the Iranian government and more about effective limitations on Iran's reach.

Of course, the story appears to be part of a larger - and largely anonymous - Administration effort to show that it is dealing with Iran effectively and not just breathing fire.

The second addresses Administration problems with Iran's mixed approach to Al Qaeda. Iran is capturing some Al Qaeda operatives traveling through Iran but some very major players are under nominal "house arrest." The Bush Administration is pushing hard to marginalize Iran and is trying to use Iran's failure to cooperate regarding these Al Qaeda members against it.

The Bush Administration wants to use this lack of cooperation to leverage Europe and Security Council members to take steps against Iran by pointing to their support for terrorists - Al Qaeda, Iraqi militias (and Hamas and Hezbollah, etc.). As the article shows, the Bush Administration's unwillingness to adhere to basic norms for detention means that we cannot gain custody of wanted terrorists.

You wonder whether a different Administration would have the guts to implement a strategy advanced by the perceptive Vali Nasr and Ray Tayekh -- constructive engagement with Iran to marginalize its clerical rulers. I think this merits a full and honest analysis.