“Iran’s Role in Brokering Peace in Syria,” John Hockenberry, PRI, December 21, 2015.
Tag: ISIS
‘Coalition of the Coalitions’ Needed in ISIS Fight
On July 14, after 12 years of crisis and negotiations, Iran and six major world powers agreed on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which marked a peaceful settlement of the Iranian nuclear dispute. The JCPOA is the most comprehensive agreement ever achieved on non-proliferation; containing the most intrusive transparency and verification mechanisms ever implemented in the history of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). It shuts down all possible “pathways” to a nuclear weapon and prevents any potential covert weapons programs as well. There is no doubt that this agreement represents the most important diplomatic and non-proliferation achievement in several decades and that the global nonproliferation regime is stronger as a result of this deal.
“‘Coalition of the Coalitions’ Needed in ISIS Fight,” Hossein Mousavian, Defense News, December 13, 2015.
Is Iran too Aggressive in the Middle East? Joshua Landis interviews Hussein Mousavian
“Is Iran too Aggressive in the Middle East? Joshua Landis interviews Hussein Mousavian,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, University of Oklahoma, September 16, 2015. (Video)
The Heat discusses the Iran nuclear program (Video)
“The Heat discusses the Iran nuclear program,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, CCTV, July 2, 2015.
Why Iran Should not have a Nuclear Bomb
“Why Iran Should not have a Nuclear Bomb,” Interview with Hossein Mousavian, Al Jazeera America, July 1, 2015.
Hossein Mousavian on Iran and relations around the country
“Hossein Mousavian on Iran and relations around the country,” interview with Hossein Mousavian, CCTV, May 22, 2015.
America’s Middle East Challenge
The Middle East is in dire need of cooperation on issues of long-term interest to the stability and well-being of the whole region. The Arab Spring has resulted in political instability in many countries, while extremist and terrorist groups have wreaked havoc across the region. It is imperative for Middle Eastern countries to work collaboratively in order to tackle these region-wide challenges.
The United States faces lack of trust from Iran and suspicion from its Arab allies. America’s oil-centered involvement in the Middle East is becoming less strategically important as the United States moves toward becoming the leading exporter of oil and gas. As a result, the Arabs are losing their oil leverage with Washington and are resorting to suicidal strategies to destabilize the region, by funding various extremist groups, in hopes that it would compel America to stay involved.
America’s increased involvement in the Middle East is inevitable as a result of the expansion of ISIS and other terrorist groups. This heightened involvement could result in positive outcomes if it is calculated carefully. The United States should come to the realization that its military might is not capable of bringing about peace in the Middle East. As Chas W. Freeman Jr. argued in his bookAmerica’s Misadventures in the Middle East, “How do we propose to manage the contradiction between our desire to assure the stability of the Persian Gulf and the fact that our presence in it is inherently destabilizing?” However, U.S. military superiority could be applied positively and used to support regional governments to fight terrorism in the region. Washington’s efforts toward a regional cooperation system in the Persian Gulf (akin to that of the European Union) would fill the vacuum caused by an eventual U.S. departure and assuage Arab fears of a resurgent Iran. President Rouhani, in his 2014 address to the UN General Assembly, pointed out, “The right solution to this quandary comes from within the region and regionally provided solutions with international support and not from outside the region.”
“America’s Middle East Challenge,” Cairo Review, Hossein Mousavian with Mehrdad Saberi. Published by the Cairo Review of Global Affairs, April 6 2014.
How to Fix the Syrian Mess
The bloody conflict in Syria since early 2011—whether we call it a civil war or by any other name—has brought in its wake actual disaster with vast destruction of the country and its infrastructure and over 200,000 dead, 6.7 million internally displaced, 3.8 million refugees and 13 million people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
Staffan de Mistura, the third in a series of United Nations envoys tasked to find a solution for the Syrian conflict, has introduced an “action plan” aimed to make 2015 the year in which movement toward a political settlement of the conflict takes place.
As things stand, and given the factors that pushed the previous efforts and initiatives, including Geneva I and II, to failure, success of the new plan proposed by UN special envoy depends on a much larger political orchestration. As I see it, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (P5) and the five relevant regional players—Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia/ GCC and Egypt (R5)—should adopt a fresh look and approach to the Syrian crisis. Overall, agreement on the following steps could pave the way for an exit from the current deadly impasse.
There are six steps that must be taken.
“How to Fix the Syrian Mess,” Hossein Mousavian, The National Interest, March 24, 2015
To Defeat ISIS, Iraq Forced to Accept Iran’s ‘Suffocating Embrace’
“To Defeat ISIS, Iraq Forced to Accept Iran’s ‘Suffocating Embrace’,” interview with Hossein Mousavian, Paul D. Shinkman, US News, March 17, 2015.
General Qasem Soleimani: Iran’s rising star
“General Qasem Soleimani: Iran’s rising star,” Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, BBC, march 6, 2015.
