Is Iran being unfairly targeted by the international community over its nuclear ambitions? Is the US’ approach to nuclear negotiations effective? Could culture play a role in the negotiations? At “The Bazaar Meets the Hammer: Negotiations in the Iranian Nuclear Crisis,” a presentation sponsored by Fletcher’s International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution club, Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization club, and Mediterranean club, two guest speakers addressed these questions and many others as part of a lively discussion about negotiation and nuclear arms.
Dr. Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, visiting scholar at the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, opened the event. Presenting her native Iran’s political perspective, Haghighatjoo raised important issues that stimulated discussion. She cited Iran’s right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran feels that compliance to the treaty is being unevenly applied. Given this lack of compliance, why is Iran being singled out? Iran feels that double standards are also being applied to countries permitted to have nuclear arms. For Pakistan’s acquisition of such weapons, Haghighatjoo pointed out, the international tacitly accepted the situation. Israel, too, holds nuclear arms without any protest from the great powers. Who, Haghighatjoo asked, is to say that the US and Russia may have the bomb but no one else may? “Iran has promised to use the reactors for peaceful purposes,” she stated while asking why the US has demonized the regime.
Underlying Iran’s need for new energy sources and foreign currency, Haghighatjoo argued that it would not be in Iran’s interest to suspend nuclear activities unless agreements can be made to strengthen Iranian national security and sovereignty, integrate it into the world community, and uphold its national pride.
Michael Adler, a journalist and Public Policy Scholar at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson Center, addressed Iran’s negotiating tactics throughout the nuclear crisis that started in 2002 when the world learned that Iran had been trying to enrich uranium for two decades. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) tried to investigate the extent of Iran’s nuclear capabilities and intentions but was forestalled at every turn. Iran has fed the agency information on a need-to-know basis instead of being straightforward and fully answering each question.
Adler accused Iran of frequent manipulation and outright lies, offering up anecdotes about the negotiations in Geneva. At one point, for instance, it was revealed that Iran had an enrichment site and a centrifuge site. Each time IAEA inspectors asked to see the sites, the Iranians took them elsewhere. When the inspectors were finally led there, the building had been cleared of uranium and the Iranians told them the site was not for enrichment. But upon further inspection using special technology, the officials found traces of uranium. This behavior, stated Adler, is typical of Iranian dealings with the IAEA and the international community as a whole.
What can the US do to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions? Military intervention is not an option, given how the US is overstretched and exposed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Adler mentioned two tactics for moving forward with negotiations. First, the falling price of oil can work as a leverage. Iran is devastated by this reduction in revenue. Were India and the Gulf states to stop sending refined gas to Iran, the country would be paralyzed and forced to negotiate in a clear manner. However, there is also a clear cultural disconnect between the West and Iran. The US and the EU do not seem to understand how Iranians work and communicate which has contributed to the breakdown in negotiation. Adler recommended that the US understand Iran better before proceeding.
Both Iran and the US will welcome new administrations in 2009. As a result, new progress may be possible, but probably not before June when the Iranians go to the polls. While Haghighatjoo and Adler disagreed on when the US should re-engage with Iran, they agreed that not engaging is not an option.