jazzeum
Four Star General
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2005
- Messages
- 39,059
This situation is somewhat of Trump’s making as he cancelled the agreement that Obama made with the Iranians. It was not a perfect deal but the Iranians did make some concessions. The only reason he cancelled it is because Obama made it.No one has had any success negotiating with Iran. Not Carter, Obama, Clinton, Bush. They tried all the typical tactics. They all failed. Businessmen like Trump can be ruthless but they believe everyone has a common goal. Get the best deal possible and make a lot of money. Political negotiation is a different animal. Particularly when dealing with fanatics. Iran believes time is on their side. They will endure short term punishment, hold out, and count on the US to cave. They don't want a deal even if that is in their best interest. They don't care if their citizens die. They don't care if the country is blown to pieces. That limits the options to just giving up and hoping for the best like the Europeans or bringing down the hammer and accepting the consequences in terms of long-term pain for everyone with no guarantee of success. For all his tough talk, I think Trump finds an exit ramp, declares victory, and washes his hands of this conflict with the realization that Iran will eventually develop a nuclear weapon to terrorize future generations. He will have done what he could against all the political headwinds. All the naysayers will be left to find a solution to an Iranian regime with a nuclear weapon and willingness to use it.
Getting back to the present he’s dealing with an adversary who appears willing to take any punishment to hang on, not your normal negotiating partner. I have been involved in some negotiations that were difficult but at the end both sides wanted to get a deal done and understood each other. Here the two sides do not understand each other. Trump doesn’t understand the Iranians and the Iranians think they can push Trump the way they did Carter. Trump going on social media doesn’t help him but either he can’t help himself or he thinks his tough talk will influence Iran, which it doesn’t.
