The Hill: Iranian-American Détente
Yesterday in The Hill, Consensus for American Security member and co-founder of the Stimson Center, Dr. Barry Blechman co-authored an article about a possible Iranian-American détente.
The Cold War is a similar situation to the one we now face in Iran. However, throughout the Cold War both sides maintained diplomatic dialogue and eventually established the hot line to allow for instant communication between the two leaders.
As Dr. Blechman writes,
“The US-Iran conflict has followed a different path…the US-Iran struggle has lacked the conversations, exchanges, communications channels, and negotiations that accompanied the real Cold War.”
There is little to no communication between Iran and the United States, two countries that fundamentally distrust each other. But as Dr. Blechman says, the two countries may have different views about the Middle East, but both have common concerns.
A Cold War era policy or program of diplomatic and civilian communication could eventually provide major payoffs for both Iran and the United States.
To read the full article, click here.
