MESOP NEWS : THE UNITED STATES & THE FUTURE OF MIDDLE EAST / JAMES JEFFREY
Commentary: The Iran Conundrum – Serious Containment vs. Stability / 15 Dec 2017
Yesterday, Ambassador James Jeffrey testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the dangers posed by Iranian activities in the Middle East, urging lawmakers to do more to contain Iran.
Jeffrey believes U.S. policymakers are refraining from “real action” to push back on Iranian activities for fear of destabilizing the region.
- “President Donald Trump put Iran on notice in October, declaring that the U.S. would counter the regime’s ‘destabilizing activity.’
- “Iran isn’t listening. Instead, Iran is making gains throughout the region. Meanwhile, there is an agonizing lack of action in Washington, beyond expelling hot air to criticize the 2015 agreement with the U.S. and its partners that aimed to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”
- Why the U.S. should not engage in reconstruction in Syria: “Colin Powell, speaking about America’s Iraq intervention, cited the ‘Pottery Barn Rule’—’You break it, you own it.’ Iran’s winning variant is: ‘We break it, you fix it, then we own it.'”
Read Ambassador Jeffrey’s column. Read full text https://www.thecipherbrief.com/column/expert-view/iran-conundrum-serious-containment-versus-stability?utm_source=Join+the+Community+Subscribers&utm_campaign=02663c3377-TCB+December+15+2017&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_02cbee778d-02663c3377-122492169