To compete and thrive in the 21st century, democracies, and the United States in particular, must develop new national security and economic strategies that address the geopolitics of information. In the 20th century, market capitalist democracies geared infrastructure, energy, trade, and even social policy to protect and advance that era’s key source of power—manufacturing. In this century, democracies must better account for information geopolitics across all dimensions of domestic policy and national strategy.
Iran's nuclear program presents the United States with a daunting foreign policy challenge. A number of U.S. policy makers, as well as President Barack Obama, have vocally disavowed a policy of containment to address this challenge. However, despite talk of air strikes and "crippling" economic sanctions, it is unlikely that such short-term fixes can successfully resolve the issue. In fact, they run a substantial risk of making it worse, and potentially leading to the very outcome they seek to prevent: a nuclear-armed and hostile Iran. Similarly, despite talk of a looming "zone of immunity" and rapidly closing windows, there is still time for diplomacy to yield positive results. U.S. strategic goals can best be met through patient and forward-looking policymaking. Specifically, the United States can continue to lay the groundwork for an effective containment policy while using targeted sanctions and diplomacy to discourage Iran from weaponization. A successful containment policy will promote long-term positive political change in Iran while avoiding counterproductive provocation.
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