Two old songs in some ways describe recent meetings between American and Iranian negotiators seeking a new agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for relief of U.S. economic sanctions. For the Iranians, it’s “Something’s Gotta Give.” On the American side, it’s “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.”. For the Islamic Republic, the two fundamentals in the first song — an “irresistible force” and an “immovable object” — have collided. The immovable object is the fact that the Islamic Republic’s rulers have long insisted that their government’s existence depends on not talking to America (except when they do). With a few exceptions, for 46 years Iran has followed the guidance of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini: “Why should we negotiate with America? What does the wolf have to negotiate with the sheep?”
US-Iran Nuclear Talks Echo Familiar Tunes (John Limbert – Stimson Center)
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