Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
If Nobody Knows Your Iran Policy, Does It Even Exist?
The Trump administration's top foreign-policy priority is the Islamic Republic—but it's unclear to what end.
What is the Trump administration's objective with Iran? We've all been watching its efforts for months now—including National Security Advisor John Bolton's announcement on Sunday that the United States had sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East in response to "a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Tehran—and I still can't figure out what it is trying to achieve. That's partly because President Donald Trump prizes being unpredictable, and his chaotically run administration is either unable or unwilling to provide clear and coherent justifications for many of its policy decisions. If you never tell anyone exactly what you’re trying to do, it's harder for outsiders to hold you accountable later.
We are forced, therefore, to divine the administration's objectives for ourselves. Here's my best guess at some of the possibilities....
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The full text of this publication is available via Foreign Policy.
For more information on this publication:
Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:
Walt, Stephen M."If Nobody Knows Your Iran Policy, Does It Even Exist?” Foreign Policy, May 6, 2019.
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What is the Trump administration's objective with Iran? We've all been watching its efforts for months now—including National Security Advisor John Bolton's announcement on Sunday that the United States had sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East in response to "a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings" from Tehran—and I still can't figure out what it is trying to achieve. That's partly because President Donald Trump prizes being unpredictable, and his chaotically run administration is either unable or unwilling to provide clear and coherent justifications for many of its policy decisions. If you never tell anyone exactly what you’re trying to do, it's harder for outsiders to hold you accountable later.
We are forced, therefore, to divine the administration's objectives for ourselves. Here's my best guess at some of the possibilities....
Want to Read More?
The full text of this publication is available via Foreign Policy.Walt, Stephen M."If Nobody Knows Your Iran Policy, Does It Even Exist?” Foreign Policy, May 6, 2019.
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
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Analysis & Opinions - Foreign Policy
America Isn't as Powerful as It Thinks It Is
Journal Article - Foreign Affairs
The End of Hubris
Book - I.B. Tauris
Triple Axis: China, Russia, Iran and Power Politics
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Press Release - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Barham A. Salih Joins Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School as Senior Fellow
Analysis & Opinions - New Straits Times
Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
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