New Piece in World Politics Review

In a new piece, I analyze the current irony surrounding nuclear negotiations with the West: while President Obama has long held out the United States' "extended hand" to Iran in a policy of engagement, the only faction within Iran that currently favors striking a deal is none other than the illegitimate Ahmadinejad administration. Not only have traditional conservatives come out against latest proposal, but most recently, so have the leaders of the Green movement. As political forces -- both pro-regime and reformist -- coalesce against Ahmadinejad, I argue that Obama's task of dealing with Iran is becoming that much more difficult. Further, as the actual grass-roots of the Green movement (i.e., the demonstrators in the streets) increasingly link the U.S.' direct engagement with Ahmadinejad against their struggle for freedom, Obama must be that much more careful not to squander the goodwill that most demonstrators have towards his administration.

The article can be found here: http://www.worldpoliticsreview.org/article.aspx?id=4631