Is the P5+1 Nuclear Deal with Iran a Case of Buyers Regret? An Interview with Dr. Michael Rubin
by Jerry Gordon and Mike Bates (April 2015)
saying:
saying on his website, “There has been nothing done and there is nothing binding I neither agree nor disagree.” Secretary of State Kerry in a PBS interview on April 8, 2015 said that Congress shouldn’t interfere with the Presidential diplomatic prerogatives, while at the same time suggesting that one of the major gaps identified in the framework, previous military developments at sites like Parchin, would be addressed in the final agreement. Kerry also warned Iran over its involvement in destabilizing Yemen reflected in Iranian naval vessels sent to Gulf of Aden to combat “pirates” while it spreads its hegemony in the Middle East. The US is now caught in a double bind. On the one hand, pursuing a diplomatic deal to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear breakout within few months time, while simultaneously supplying ally Saudi Arabia with weapons in a coalition air campaign against Iranian-backed Shia Houthi rebels in Yemen. President Obama’s sales pitches reflected in interviews with New York Times columnist Tom Friedman and NPR’s Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep didn’t help to clarify matters. The Friedman interview revealed conflicting statements about what he called “our best bet,” including one that he would prevent Iran from achieving nuclear breakout during his remaining term in office. The NPR interview had a statement from the President that Iran would have zero time to breakout in 10 to 13 years. Those statements added to the already heighted disquiet of America’s allies in the region, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Emirates and Egypt about the P5+1 deal. Against this background we reached out to Dr. Michael Rubin, resident scholar at the Washington, DC-based American Enterprise Institute and author of “Dancing with the Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes.”
Mike Bates: Good afternoon and welcome back to Your Turn. We have with us in the studio Jerry Gordon, Senior Editor of the New English Review and its blog The Iconoclast and joining us by telephone is Resident Scholar of the American Enterprise Institute, Mike Rubin. Mike, welcome.
Michael Rubin: Thank you Mike.
Bates: We want to talk about what is happening or not happening or about to happen or whatever with this Iranian deal.
Jerry Gordon: Michael, good to have you back. Why in your opinion is this a bad deal?
Bates: And time proved that they were correct.
Gordon: Michael, what do you think Congress is going to be doing next week? Are they really going to be screwing up some courage so that they can pass some legislation saying they want to review this deal?
Gordon: Michael, what is it that Americans should take away from Obama’s sale pitch that we have seen over the course of this weekend with Tom Friedman and this morning on NPR?
Gordon: Michael, are you telling us that even if there is a deal on the table by June 30th that Congress will be in no position to squawk about it?
Gordon: Michael, how unified are the Israelis behind Prime Minister Netanyahu’s objections to this deal?
Bates: So what do you see the Israeli government doing other than complaining?
www.aei.org or on twitter at @mrubin1971.
Listen to the 1330amWEBY interview with Michael Rubin.
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