When will Obama deliver the change?
His Iran move, like other foreign policy shifts, carries big political risks and will be judged by results, not intentions Simon Tisdall
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 January 2009 19.36 GMT
It takes time to unpick eight years of mistakes, misanthropy and mutual malice. But Barack Obama's tentative first moves down a path that could eventually lead to the normalisation of US relations with Iran carry a historic significance stretching far beyond the barren era of finger-pointing presided over by George Bush and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Almost 30 years to the day when Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, King of Kings, Light of the Aryans, and American client, was overthrown in February 1979, Obama's initiative has potential to end one of the most unnecessary, dangerous enmities of recent times. Ask Iranians if they want to be friends with the US and the answer is usually "yes". Their invariable, puzzled question in return is: why does America hate us?
Obama plainly aims to show them and others round the world that hate has no place in his plans. But his Iran move, like other foreign policy shifts, carries considerable political risks and will be judged by results, not intentions.
At present he can draw on an unusual degree of political capital. Polls suggest there is wide popular support for change, for making a break with the past. But even Obama has only so long to deliver. Honeymoons always end. If things go wrong in Afghanistan or Lebanon or North Korea, he may quickly be left looking more like dupe than visionary. .......(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jan/28/barack-obama-foreign-policy