Leveraging the Iran Nuclear Agreement To Reduce Conflict in the Middle East

Series: Reinvent American Foreign Policy

How can the Iran Nuclear Agreement lead to a significant reduction of conflict in the Middle East?
The Iran Nuclear Agreement represents an effective use of international diplomacy and institutions to resolve geo-political conflicts without resorting to force – certainly the most important example since 2001. Because the Iran Agreement used tough, principled negotiations to avoid an unnecessary war, it could provide a template for a new kind of progressive foreign policy both in the region and elsewhere.

Will the Iran Nuclear Agreement form the foundation of broader reduction of conflict in the Middle East, especially between Sunnis and Shias and among nations outside the region? Can the Iran Nuclear Agreement lead to new diplomatic initiatives involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the UN Security Council’s five permanent members in order to move the situations in Syria, Iraq, and Palestine from impasse to greater stability? Can the U.S. move past the ineffective and counterproductive reliance on the unilateral use of military power, and find common ground with Iran and Saudi Arabia on ISIS and a broader range of security issues?

Read Stephen Kinzer’s analysis of the Iran Deal in Global Post here.

Recorded: October 28, 2015

Play Video | Download Audio | iTunes

Duration: 1:29:15 |

Highlights

Stephen Kinzer on how the Iran Deal reorders the world

6:14

8:56

Joseph Cirincione: The Iran Deal negates the possibility of an arms race in the Middle East

31:45

Trita Parsi: "The cost of hegemony has gone up"

40:46

47:49

Suzanne DiMaggio on Trump's foreign policy approach and why candidates need to talk about power of engagement

55:37

58:28

Sara Haghdoosti: The Iraq War was my generation's Vietnam

59:22

Joseph Cirincione: Can a new president pull the plug on the Iran Deal?

62:00

65:15

Stephen Kinzer and Barbara Slavin address a question from the audience about Turkey

83:12

86:35

Kathleen Toohill

Add your questions here in advance and we’ll consider them for the roundtable!
Maurizio Geri

Can the agreement bring also a rapprochement between Turkey and Iran, to recreate a Northern tier in order to block this time not the Communist expansion but the expansion of Jihadism and Wahabism? Turkey and Iran are the most powerful, stable and democratic (not the Ayatollah regime in Iran but its population) Muslim countries of the ME and they are not so different as we think (Shia are also in Turkey, the Kurdish is a common issue and the economic interrelation is evident).
- Kathleen Toohill
  
  Thanks for your question! If you’re able to watch the roundtable live on the 28th, we’ll be discussing in real-time right here, as well as on Twitter.
- Kathleen Toohill
  
  Hi Maurizio – if you haven’t watched the roundtable yet, your question was addressed at 1:22!
mediawiseguy

Why is Iran in need of nuclear energy? They could develop it with non- weaponized Thorium in reactors. Why was this not part of the agreement?
Why do you believe that Iran will change their historical place as the warlike , disrupter of the region. Go back to ancient Persia, only Cyrus , in their entire history , was a sage and open minded. So, why will they change their national character , now, with the Mullahs in charge.?
- Kathleen Toohill
  
  Thanks for submitting your questions! We’ll be discussing the roundtable right here on the 28th while it’s live, as well as on Twitter. Feel free to tweet us any thoughts/additional questions you might have (@Reinventnet).
Prakash Tripathi

If power shifts in Iran from Mullah to Iranian technocratic middle-class, Wests gamble ,that Iran nuclear agreement is, is likely to pay off. Integrate Iranian economy fast into global marketplace, investment and economic turn around will help that desired shift. At bottom rest assured that mullah are not mad like Saudi wahabis.
Kathleen Toohill

We’re live! Post your questions here for consideration in the roundtable.
editorkhodnevis

Mr. Kinzer,talking on Iran and calling it a chessboard, how do you see Iran’s approach in arresting Iranian-Americans? Does Iran see them as pawns of American policy?
- Kathleen Toohill
  
  If you haven’t seen the full roundtable yet, Stephen addressed your question at 1:13!
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The connection stopped on my two computers at 11:40 am
- Kathleen Toohill
  
  Unfortunately, it looks like YouTube is having difficulties at the moment. We’re working on it now. If your live stream doesn’t start up again, the entire roundtable will be available right here as soon as it concludes.
  - Kathleen Toohill
    
    Try refreshing now – it should be back up!
Maurizio Geri

How do you listen?
- Kathleen Toohill
  
  We’re streaming live now – try refreshing your browser if the image is frozen or if you can’t hear the audio.
  - Maurizio Geri
    
    On this page? When I click on the title it asks for a password…
    - Kathleen Toohill
      
      YouTube is having technical difficulties again and the stream may not be working, but it shouldn’t ask you for a password. Try opening this link in a new browser: http://reinvent.net/events/event/iran-nuclear-agreement-middle-east-peace/
      The whole roundtable will be available here around 12:30.
      - Maurizio Geri
        
        Done, it works, tx!
      - Maurizio Geri
        
        Actually just few seconds and then blocked…will watch later, tx!
      - Kathleen Toohill
        
        Sorry about that! If you return when it’s over, you should be able to watch without any problems.
Kathleen Toohill

The full roundtable is now available for viewing!

What Happens if We View Iran Not As An Enemy, But As An Ally?

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