Maximalism Guarantees Diplomatic Failure

The gap between the two sides is so huge because the U.S. insists on maximalist conditions that no goverment would find acceptable.

The New York Times reports on Trump’s bankrupt Iran policy:

So far, the gap between the two sides appears huge. The Iranians sound like they are looking for an updated version of the Obama-era agreement, which limited Iran’s stockpiles of nuclear material. The Americans want to dismantle a vast nuclear-fuel enrichment infrastructure, the country’s missile program and Tehran’s longtime support for Hamas, Hezbollah and other proxy forces.

What is missing is time.

The report makes clear that the real problem is the wildly unrealistic demands from the U.S. side. The gap between the two sides is so huge because the U.S. insists on maximalist conditions that no goverment would find acceptable. The Iranian government isn’t willing to talk about any of the things that the Trump administration demands, and it certainly isn’t going to give Trump what he wants. It is the extremism of the American position that makes a diplomatic solution so unlikely for the foreseeable future. This may be obvious, but we can’t forget that our government is the one making it impossible to reach a negotiated compromise. We also shouldn’t forget that there would be no need for a new compromise if this president hadn’t destroyed the old one out of spite and stupidity.