NIAC - National Iranian American Council - Are Our Carrots Big Enough?

 

Written by Sahar Jooshani

Friday, 06 February 2009

Washington DC - “Iran is not a donkey, bigger sticks won’t work,” said James Dobbins, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. He made it clear Wednesday that Iran is not a country that can be wooed using the carrot or stick metaphor. Dobbins was joined by Kenneth M. Pollack and Danielle Pletka in a conference hosted by American Enterprise Institute and moderated by Jackson Diehl. The panel was visibly divided with the conservative voice of Pletka on one end and the more moderate opinions of Dobbins and Pollack on the other.

Daniella Pletka was quick to communicate her uncertainty of how successful future talks with Iran would play out. The overarching theme of her discussion was best expressed in her opening comment, “Can we offer carrots that are big enough?” Her main concern was rooted in the US government’s ability to offer big enough incentives to please the Iranian appetite.

The upcoming administration faces many obstacles in the Middle East. Pletka raised many concerns about the willingness of the American government to allow Iran to have a prominent role in regional affairs, a step that could prove to be a major factor in negotiations. In reference to the Palestinian issue, she stated, “Iran wants a dominant role in the region. Are we willing to see Iran at the table?”

If the US is to engage Iran, it must define its boundaries and designate areas on which it is and is not willing to budge. Kenneth M. Pollock, the director of research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings Institution stated, “We need to recognize what they want from us. There is a right way to go about this.” He went on to state that the US should be prepared to put everything on the table, knowing beforehand that Iran “might not take it.”

On a more optimistic note, James Dobbins, used a period of communication between the US and the Soviet Union to support his confidence in the importance of dialogue as a key tool in future relations between the US and Iran. Dobbins stated, “Talk, but don’t expect a lot in the short term and don’t threaten to bomb if you don’t get what you want.” He spoke at length about diplomatic strategies and tools, and made sure to restate that “threatening preemption” was not included in his list of successful diplomatic bargaining wagers.

The conference concluded with a panel confident in the necessity of organized and guided dialogue. If the US is looking to open conversation with Iran, it should first decide what it can and cannot live without, because as Pletka stated, “Iran knows what it wants and the government thinks it has the upper hand.”

NIAC - National Iranian American Council - Are Our Carrots Big Enough?