THE PRESIDENT: Today I want to extend my very best wishes to all who are celebrating Nowruz around the world.

This holiday is both an ancient ritual and a moment of renewal, and I hope that you enjoy this special time of year with friends and family.

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

Hooshang Amirahmadi, Ph.D.
Professor, Rutgers University
Senior Associate Member, Oxford University
President, American Iranian Council

Presented at the Le Cercle Conference
Washington, DC, November 14, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning!

It is a great honor for me to speak at this distinguished gathering of transatlantic statesmen and experts. Let me begin by thanking the Honorable Lord Norman Lamont for his kind invitation and Beverley Gaynor, the Lord's capable assistant, for her tireless effort coordinating the many pieces of this event from across the Atlantic. Taking place days after the historic U.S. presidential elections, this conference could not happen at a better time.

The title of my speech, Iran and America: Can Obama Find a Political Solution?" was suggested by Lord Lamont and I accepted it without hesitation because I thought it asked a focused and timely question, requiring a fresh look at an old struggle. Let me begin by positively responding to the question but with reservations: while a political solution is possible, it will require a paradigm shift in U.S. policy, and the path does not need to be solely political.
To provide a context for my response, let me begin by relaying my recent experiences in Iran and then provide a conceptual explanation of one possible way to break through the current U.S.-Iran spiral conflict. For the past 10 months, I have spent a substantial amount of time in Iran speaking with many government officials, lawmakers, leaders of the loyal opposition, religious authorities, key members of the civil society, as well as ordinary citizens.

Brent Lollis, Ph.D.
AIC Executive Director

On Tuesday January 20th, Barak Obama will be sworn into office as the 44th President of the United States. Joseph R. Biden, formerly the senior senator from Delaware and Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will also be sworn in as Vice-President. The Obama-Biden Administration will likely demonstrate a decisive break from the past on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues. Although domestic policy will represent the most immediate and serious challenge to the new Administration, foreign policy will necessarily require substantial attention. Certain countries will represent major challenges, including: Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran. Certain key issues will also represent fundamental challenges, especially: global warming, energy, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Given these immediate and serious challenges, the new Administration will have little time to design and initiate its new policies. At the same time, major policy mistakes will need to be avoided as they will result in exacerbating the present dangers.

It is important to note that President-elect Obama's key campaign values were "hope" and "change." After having repeated and utilized these two abstract values so frequently, it will be important for the Administration to be able to argue by the time of the next presidential election that "hope" and "change" can be found in a substantial number of U.S. domestic and foreign policy areas. If four years elapse, and these values do not seem to be adequately reflected in policies, then the claim will be made that these campaign values were simply hollow. The question, therefore, is not whether they will be reflected, but in what ways and to what degrees. With respect to the Middle East, and Iran in particular, it will be a challenge to design and initiate new policies that will enhance the safety, security and well-being of the region. Will "hope" and "change" be meaningful values with respect to U.S. foreign policy? Will they be meaningful to U.S. citizens and to Iranian citizens?