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How do you solve a problem like Iran? Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, is here to talk with Sarah and Steve about the Biden administration's approach to Iran after six months in office. Was moving away from the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign the right move?
Show Notes:
I would recommend that when you bring the think tank folks whose job is often to backfill arguments supporting conclusions that are consistent with the think tank's stated goals that you follow it up with an interview from another (preferably credible) think tank (may be CFR?) either as a counter or perhaps just a different take. I don't think the take that we just needed to give the maximum pressure program more time to force Iran to the table is very persuasive, given that Iran has effectively resisted external pressure successfully for 40 years - regardless of the country's cash reserves. But I'm not an expert, although I do like the podcast format and hope that Dispatch can give these difficult foreign affairs issues the serious analysis they deserve beyond the reductive political frame that many of these think tankers and partisan-oriented pundits use (see, e.g., Pletka).
I was not a fan of this guest. I felt he made a lot of unsubstantiated claims or provided weak evidence, from the cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union to the efficacy of “maximum pressure”. His 10-minute monologue/intro caused me to fast forward a few times. I don’t think he even made a compelling case for why we should care about Iran besides Israel, which I think, has shown to be quite capable of defending itself.
I was supportive of going to war in Iraq (both times!) but the last 20 years’ of the U.S. experience in the Middle East - from Libya to Afghanistan - has worn out my appetite for further saber rattling or military activities. I definitely approached this podcast with a skeptical bent but I believed I was willing to be convinced of a different viewpoint. Richard Goldberg did not do that for me.