Public Comment

Contrary to the fantasy of “the shining city on the hill”, successive US administrations have delivered punishing blows to the world (Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan. . ) 

Recently, President Biden released a policy position on Iran stating it is “under review” which is likely code language for a “do nothing” policy. American politics invariably play to their domestic audience and I fear Biden is already expressing weakness to deflect likely criticism from republicans. What is urgently needed is a bold policy to undo the monumental blunders of the Trump administration who reneged on the Iran nuclear accord sending a message to the world that America’s signature on international agreements is worthless. 

History is replete with examples of US presidents acting out of fear when confronted with perceived foreign or domestic threats. For example, President Johnson dispatched half a million American troops to Vietnam out of fear of being accused of being soft on communism. President George Bush and his advisors crated a catchy slogan to launch the disastrous war in Iraq and ensure Congressional acquiescence- “are you with us or against us” prompting a majority of democrats to vote for the Patriot Act and the Iraq war. The republican “Swift boat “attack dogs nearly destroyed John Kerry’s political career smearing him as a coward ignoring the fact he was a decorated war hero with 3 Purple Hearts. Israel, Saudi Arabia and their proxies in Congress will exert maximum pressure on the Biden administration to dissuade them from resurrecting the Iran nuclear accord. 

Biden and the democrats excoriated Trump for withdrawing from the JCPOA and promised to promptly rejoin the deal if elected. But Biden now appears to be hedging his position in a way that risks turning what should be an easy win for the new administration into an avoidable and tragic diplomatic failure. Unless Biden acts swiftly, the presidential elections in Iran, scheduled for June, will likely elect a hardliner making a rapport with the US extremely more difficult.Biden must, therefore, restore the nuclear Iran agreement without preconditions, lift the crippling sanctions and release $120B in frozen Iranian assets. Bernie Sanders, Biden’s competitor for the democratic nomination, simply promised, "I would re-enter the agreement on the first day of my presidency." Biden should heed Sanders' wise words.