Leadership Dynamics and Nuclear Decision-Making in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Abstract
In August 2004, the Institute for Defense Analyses hosted a roundtable discussion aimed at identifying barriers to effective communication between the United States and Iran and, if possible, beginning the process of considering options for breaking the current strategic deadlock and moving U.S.-Iranian interaction into a sphere broader than its current narrow focus on Israel, terrorism, and nukes. A nuclear-armed Iran, in either the near- or long-term, is probably a foregone conclusion. And if that is the case, it behooves U.S. policymakers to begin rethinking the U.S.-Iranian relationship with an eye toward moving beyond the current preoccupation with Iranian nukes. To continue to pursue a rigidly one-track nonproliferation policy risks undermining other vital U.S. strategic interests: building a global anti-terrorist environment, establishing stable regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, and moving forward in the Arab-Israeli peace process. In all these areas, the United States needs to be able to influence Iranian behavior, but at present it has little leverage to exert over Iranian policymakers, either directly or through international institutions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA470376
Entities
People
- Abbas W. Samii
- Ahmed S. Hashim
- Caroline F. Ziemke
- Daniel Brumberg
- Michael Eisenstadt
Organizations
- Institute for Defense Analyses