Time for Détente With Iran

After decades of pursuing a policy of containment and preaching virulent anti-communism, Richard Nixon traveled to China in 1972, marking a new era of negotiation, compromise and cooperation that became known as “détente.” China, a rising East Asian power, assisted the US in exiting the unpopular Vietnam War, tackling more serious threats and bringing stability to the region; the US could gain analogous benefits today by replacing its efforts to contain Iran with détente. America’s ongoing military engagement in Iraq, the perceived failure of the Israeli summer offensive in Lebanon and the international community’s inability to agree on sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program have all contributed to waning Western influence in the Middle East. Isolating Iran is no longer a sensible policy. Washington must come to terms with Iranian influence, and work toward empowering domestic advocates of moderation. Three decades of cold war with Iran, waiting for a spontaneous student uprising, has failed to achieve US objectives. As hard as it is to imagine Iran assisting the US, let alone Israel, strategic détente tied to measurable outcomes could deliver stability to the Middle East. – YaleGlobal