- AIC FEATURE ARTICLE -
In Search of Understanding and Dialogue - A Report
By: Hooshang Amirahmadi
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that the summer is over and the US-Iran spiral conflict has heated up
as never before, let us get connected again. For the start, I am
sending to you an update mentioning only the most important
developments involving the Council and me. I will also us ethe
occasion to report on some of the key events and debates concerning
US-Iran relations in which I have been a participant. The debates come
down to whether the parties will make peace or the US will take some
sort of military action against Iran. I am unhappy to report that the
overwhelming majority of opinions expressed on the subject believe that
a war is increasingly a real option. What is more concerning is that,
of the people who think war is a real option; many are former officials
or very informed experts. They are also individuals who wish to see
the two nations make a compromise and normaliza relations....(read
more)".
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Thomas Pickering, Member of AIC Board, Delivers Keynote Speech at Georgetown Conference on Middle Eastern Affairs.
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Ambassador Thomas Pickering, former U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs and AIC board member,
delivered the keynote speech at a conference hosted by the Center for
International and Regional Studies at the Georgetown University School of
Foreign Services. The conference was entitled "The United States and the
Middle East After the Bush Presidency: The View From the Outside". Instead
of discussing the various aspects of the current administration’s policies, the
panel focused on how the United States is perceived internationally, and what
caused this perception. The conference also addressed what the role of the
United States should be in the Middle East for the short and long term future.
Pickering's keynote address focused on the importance of including Iran and
Syria in all reconciliation efforts in both Iraq and Afghanistan. "The US
alone cannot solve the problem. A careful diplomacy is required which is also very
difficult"...(read more)
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| Robert Pelletreau, Member of the AIC Advisory Council, proposes new plan for Middle East Peace Confrence
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Ambassador Robert Pelletreau, former chairman of the AIC, has put forward a new plan to the state department, which provides a context in which the United States should operate for the Middle East Peace conference in November. The primary goal of the plan is to insure that at the end of the
Peace Summit, there is a new declaration, which all nations will agree
to enforce and abide by. His proposal has many key reccomendation one of which is to take
the discussion of Hamas off the table. This will lead to an increased likelihood
of the formation of an actual agreement by the conclusion of the conference. Another reccomendation is that Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice's, increase her trips
to the Middle East to help sell the agreement reached at the Summit...(read more)
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- NEWS UPDATES -
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Although the U.S. and Iran continue to test one another on various fronts, both countries are also moving toward increased dialogue. The two key points upon which the U.S. continues to put pressure upon Iran involve Iran's quest for nuclear enrichment, and the instability in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Iran's Nuclear Enrichment Programs
Iranians have been steadfast and unmoving in their claim that their nuclear enrichment is solely for energy and peacful purposes. However, much of the rest of the world have remained unconvinced and suspicious of the true intent of Iran's nuclear enrichment goals. China Urging Iran on Nukes, CNN
Timeline: Iran's Nuclear Program, Reuters
The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
The stability of Iraq is important to both sides and Iraq has now become a very significant factor in the overall of US-Iran realtions. The AIC urges both sides to remain committed to furthering the dialogue, to being open-minded and flexible, and to giving negotiations every chance to succeed.
| Iran to Open Consulate in Northern Iraq, AFP
Iran Dismisses Possibility of US Strike, NY Times
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Iran is a transitional economy which boasts one of the world's largest and fastest growing labour forces. Although the oil industry still remains the backbone of the Iranian economy, Iran is making a concerted effort to diversify through technological investment and research.
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U.S.-Iran relations are among the hottest subjects of the world's media. The AIC update strives to provide a unique perspectives and new information on the subject. We also offer our readers news and analysis produced by others in Washington and Tehran.
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For all of our Persian subscribers, this section contains select articles written in Iran's native language, Farsi (Persian).
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This portion of the site will contain the audio and video interviews, speeches and book reviews from the most prominent scholars on Iranian-American relations. |
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Although much is known about the politics and economics of Iran, less is known, in general, about its art, culture and society. Each Update includes a few select links that are designed to broaden knowledge and understanding. |
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