Gulf Roundtable: Iran, the Bomb, and Gulf Security
When it comes to its nuclear program, Iran's government seeks to manipulate any U.S. action to its own advantage, and diplomatic engagement is no exception. The instinct of some, such as Andrew Parasiliti, is to engage Iran proactively and soon. Others, such as Kenneth Pollack, are skeptical of how Iran will respond to diplomacy absent direct pressure. Regardless, Parasiliti and Pollack agreed that U.S. policymakers must have a coherent strategy that allows diplomacy, deterrence, and containment mutually to reinforce each other in the potentially brief period before Iran acquires a nuclear weapon. Parasiliti and Pollack gave their arguments for devising such a strategy at a Gulf Roundtable hosted by the CSIS Middle East Program on October 13, 2010.
