The Geneva Blame Game

by Alireza Nader Iran and the P5+1 (the U.S., Britain, France, China, and Russia plus Germany) came tantalizingly close to reaching a nuclear deal this past weekend in Geneva, but the talks ended without an agreement. Although both Iran and… Continue Reading

France, Iran and the Lubricated Geneva Talks

by Ali Reza Eshraghi Negotiation, as the French writer Marquis de Sade once said, “like certain portions of the anatomy, always runs more smoothly when lubricated.” In the most recent session with Iran in Geneva, the lubricant was strikingly effective.… Continue Reading

Diplomatic Blunders Endanger Victory with Iran in Geneva

by Robert E. Hunter “Victory has a thousand fathers; defeat is an orphan” — John Kennedy’s pithy phrase also has its opposite. We have seen this since last weekend’s failed effort to reach an accord on nuclear matters between Iran… Continue Reading

Saudi Anger Masks Concern About Loss of Influence

by Emile Nakhleh via IPS News Saudi Arabia’s public anger against the United States masks the kingdom’s growing concern about its diminishing influence in the Persian Gulf and the wider Arab world. It has nothing to do with U.S. policy… Continue Reading

What to Make of a Near Miss

by Peter Jenkins Sometimes the fog of diplomacy can be as thick as the fog of battle. So it has been in the case of last week’s talks in Geneva — until, that is, the publication of an account in… Continue Reading