Obama, Kerry score a generational breakthrough
By Steve Benen
As the political world, in the United States and abroad, begins to appreciate the scope of the international nuclear deal with Iran, policymakers will have a spirited debate over the implications and efficacy of the agreement. But before that begins in earnest, it’s worth pausing to acknowledge just what an extraordinary accomplishment this breakthrough really is.
In the abstract, this deal was practically impossible.
Take two countries that are bitter enemies and which haven’t even spoken in decades. Add heightened fears about terrorism and the most dangerous weapons ever created. Add four other major, disparate countries from around the planet, each with their own interests and agendas, and some of which struggle to get along.
The negotiators’ task involved elements of economics, nuclear science, diplomacy, national security, and geopolitics. Their goal was a product that checked a series of highly complex boxes, satisfying the competing needs of seven different powers, all while opening a repressive regime to international weapons inspectors for the first time.
At the start of the process, the smart money said these talks would fail. The hurdles were simply too great. Indeed, plenty of very credible observers feared that the attempted diplomacy itself might be a mistake – failure would leave the world in an even more precarious position than before the talks began.
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