Talks in Baghdad reflect Iran's new willingness to discuss its nuclear program, but sanctions may not sting enough to make it change course, says expert Hassan Hakimian.
Authors: Jamie Fly and Matthew H. Kroenig Washington Post
Jamie Fly and Matthew Kroenig argue that drawing red lines linked to the guaranteed use of force by Washington and its allies could be the best way to avoid conflict with Iran.
A Pew Research Center report reveals growing opposition to the possibility of a nuclear armed Iran, but finds that nations still support imposing tougher economic sanctions versus military intervention.
In his testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives, Ray Takeyh discusses the conflicting priorities of Iran's Supreme Leader. Khamenei needs America as an enemy and a robust nuclear infrastructure to legitimize his rule. Yet, these enmities only further erode his economy and potentially threaten his hold on power.
Author: Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF National Interest
Colonel Chad T. Manske, USAF, says the question of what constitutes missile-defense interim capability will loom large over the NATO Summit, but the issue for NATO remains whether they can muster the political, diplomatic, economic, and technical will to bring a ballistic-missile defense capability on line.
When it comes to Iran's nuclear program, then, the United States and its allies should get out of the way and let Iran's worst enemies -- its own leaders -- gum up the process on their own.
Decades of economic and diplomatic sanctions have failed to substantively alter the actions of the Iranian regime, especially regarding its nuclear program. But experts say they remain an important tool to isolate and pressure Iran.
Resolving the U.S.-Iran nuclear standoff is a matter of historical precedent, trust, and diplomacy, argues Iran's foreign minister in the Washington Post.
Despite perceived setbacks, including the Stuxnet cyber attack and increased sanctions, the danger of a nuclear Iran has not diminished. The Bipartisan Policy Center offers new recommendations for moving forward.
In his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Scott Snyder argues that the United States should redouble its efforts to shape North Korea's strategic environment rather than try to identify the right combination of carrots and sticks to be used in a negotiation with Pyongyang.
Pyongyang's unsuccessful missile launch delays a new nuclear threat but raises disturbing prospects for violence on the Korean Peninsula, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.
Leslie H. Gelb argues that the world is distracted, and North Korea, South Korea, and the United States are stumbling, once again, toward a nuclear confrontation.
The Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) Moratorium on the Importation, Exportation and Manufacture of Light Weapons was adopted on October 31, 1998.
The Seoul summit advances global efforts on securing nuclear materials in dozens of countries, but the challenge will be to sustain the focus on the universal elimination of weapons-usable material, writes CFR's Micah Zenko.
Authors: David Albright, Mark Fitzpatrick, Daryl Kimball, and Jonathan Pearl
Upcoming negotiations are shadowed by Iran's increasing uranium enrichment capabilities. Four nonproliferation experts provide a path for resolving the intensifying nuclear dispute.
Global agreements aim to promote peaceful nuclear power while preventing the spread of materials, equipment, and technologies used to make nuclear weapons. CFR's research, meetings, interviews, backgrounders, and interactive content provide an essential source of analysis on these issues.
CFR Experts Guide
The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.