Beats the hell out of wanting to bomb bomb bomb Iran.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/04/obamas-quiet-success-on-iran-sanctions/38941/Obama's Quiet Success on Iran Sanctions
Apr 14 2010, 2:49 PM ET
Ever since revelations in September that Iran has been covertly enriching uranium, presumably for the purposes of developing nuclear weapons, President Obama's response has been clear and persistent but elusive. He has sought strong international sanctions against Iran, which would require the approval of the United Nations Security Council. That means convincing Russia and China, which have opposed sanctions, not to use their much-threatened Security Council veto. After months of wrangling, Obama has not secured their support, nor did he emphasize sanctions at this week's nuclear security summit. This had led many observers to declare Obama's agenda of curbing Iranian nuclear ambitions a total failure. But
the reality is more complicated, and Obama may have made more progress than first meets the eye. Even if it looks like China and Russia are stringing Obama along, they could actually be playing right into his hands.
Obama's long courting of Chinese and Russian support of sanctions has eschewed the presidential bully pulpit, from which Obama has repeatedly condemned Iran, as well as George W. Bush's preferred style of forging personal relationships with fellow heads of state, in favor of behind-the-scenes horse trading. As the New York Times' Peter Baker explains, Obama's strategy, heavy on sticks and carrots but light on idealism, is "much more realpolitik than his predecessor's." By softening criticism of human rights concerns in China and Russia and aligning their economic interests with his own foreign policy agenda, Obama has come surprisingly close to a Security Council agreement on Iran.snip//
U.S. observers might be endlessly frustrated by watching Russia and China endlessly consider, but never quite embrace, supporting sanctions. But
their not-quite-there attitude is a tremendous deterrent to Iran's leadership, who are wary of flouting its nuclear program or otherwise acting out in a way that might tilt China and Russia against them. The U.S. doesn't need to drive Iran into a sanctions-led economic depression. It just needs the credible threat that it could. As long as Obama appears just on the verge of securing Russian and Chinese support, Iran will not risk helping him.
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