Analysis & Opinions - Defense One
How to Step Back from the Brink with Iran
Right now, everything both sides do to strengthen their defenses looks to the other side like preparation for attack.
As the Trump administration accuses Iran of attacking oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, rising tensions create a real danger of stumbling into a catastrophic war neither side wants. The time has come to step away from the brink.
Iran and the United States are locked in a security dilemma: everything each side does to strengthen its defenses looks to the other side like preparation for attack. The mutual hostility and distrust between the two governments leads each to put the most threatening possible spin on everything the other does. Potential sparks that could ignite a conflagration are everywhere, with crowded ship traffic in the Persian Gulf; ongoing fighting in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan; tension between U.S.-backed and Iranian backed factions in Iraq; and Iranian-backed groups threatening Israel....
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For Academic Citation:
Bunn, Matthew.“How to Step Back from the Brink with Iran.” Defense One, June 18, 2019.
The Author
Matthew Bunn
- James R. Schlesinger Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security, and Foreign Policy
- Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
- Member of the Board, Belfer Center
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As the Trump administration accuses Iran of attacking oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, rising tensions create a real danger of stumbling into a catastrophic war neither side wants. The time has come to step away from the brink.
Iran and the United States are locked in a security dilemma: everything each side does to strengthen its defenses looks to the other side like preparation for attack. The mutual hostility and distrust between the two governments leads each to put the most threatening possible spin on everything the other does. Potential sparks that could ignite a conflagration are everywhere, with crowded ship traffic in the Persian Gulf; ongoing fighting in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan; tension between U.S.-backed and Iranian backed factions in Iraq; and Iranian-backed groups threatening Israel....
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via Defense One.The Author
Matthew Bunn
- James R. Schlesinger Professor of the Practice of Energy, National Security, and Foreign Policy
- Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
- Member of the Board, Belfer Center
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
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Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
When Zombie Neoconservatives Attack
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Analysis & Opinions - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Trump Administration's Maximum Pressure Campaign: A Prelude to War with Iran?
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Policy Brief - Quarterly Journal: International Security
The Future of U.S. Nuclear Policy: The Case for No First Use
Discussion Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
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