Karim Sadjadpour offers the Biden administration some advice on Iran policy in a new article that shows the limitations of so much conventional thinking about Iran in this country. The article is called “How to Win the Cold War with Iran,” which conjures up a deeply misleading comparison with the Soviet Union and suggests that the ongoing hostility between the U.S. and Iran might be resolved in the same way. He acknowledges the major differences between the USSR and Iran, but nonetheless concludes that “the strategy used to contain, counter, and communicate with the U.S.S.R. remains the soundest template for Iran.” While it is popular to talk about “containing” Iran and to use Cold War containment policy as a model, it doesn’t really make any sense. Containment implies that there is some dangerous expansion that needs to be contained, but in Iran’s case this simply isn’t accurate.
'Containing' Iran Makes No Sense
'Containing' Iran Makes No Sense
'Containing' Iran Makes No Sense
Karim Sadjadpour offers the Biden administration some advice on Iran policy in a new article that shows the limitations of so much conventional thinking about Iran in this country. The article is called “How to Win the Cold War with Iran,” which conjures up a deeply misleading comparison with the Soviet Union and suggests that the ongoing hostility between the U.S. and Iran might be resolved in the same way. He acknowledges the major differences between the USSR and Iran, but nonetheless concludes that “the strategy used to contain, counter, and communicate with the U.S.S.R. remains the soundest template for Iran.” While it is popular to talk about “containing” Iran and to use Cold War containment policy as a model, it doesn’t really make any sense. Containment implies that there is some dangerous expansion that needs to be contained, but in Iran’s case this simply isn’t accurate.