The Grand Bargain
Report: The Grand Bargain
Authors: Flynt Leverette and Hillary Mann Leverette
Publication: Washington Monthly
Date: August 2008
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL TEXT OF THE ARTICLE.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This brief advocates for a fundamental change of course in the U.S. approach to Iran that addresses the strategic realities of U.S.-Iranian interaction that have been ignored in the U.S. policy debate for decades. The author recommends that the U.S. and Iran negotiate a “grand bargain”, a strategic rapprochement that puts all of the principal bilateral differences between the two countries on the table at the same time and agreeing to resolve them as a package.
Key recommendations:
- Engage the Islamic Republic, on the basis of its interests, in order to reach a broad-based strategic understanding with Tehran.
- A U.S.-Iranian grand bargain should start with the definition of a strategic framework for improving relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic, addressing at least three sets of issues: U.S. security interests; Iran’s security interests; and a cooperative approach to regional security
- The U.S. needs a redefinition of America’s Iran policy would be to affirm the continuing validity of the Algiers Accord, the 1981 agreement that ended the crisis prompted by Iran’s seizure of U.S. diplomats and other official personnel in Tehran as hostages following the Iranian revolution.
RSS Feed