Get Over Obama’s Semantics, Focus On Engagement With Iran, Says Expert

By Mariko Lamb- Talk Radio News Service

Suzanne Maloney, Senior Fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy Studies,
said diplomatic engagement with Iran should be “Plan A” for the United States, despite challenges posed by unknown turns in Iranian protests and recent remarks by the Obama administration.

Maloney, during a panel discussion at the U.S. Institute For Peace Thursday, noted that one of the most prevalent roadblock to diplomacy is that the Iran’s political atmosphere is constantly in flux.

“We’ll have sporadic outbursts of violence, protests that capture the world’s attention and then some prolonged period of quiet,” said Maloney.  “We just don’t know what’s happening.”

“It’s time to get over this question of semantics,” said Maloney regarding the administration’s response to the conflict in Iran.  “Words from the podium have some salience, but, ultimately, that’s not the sum total of U.S. policy, and that’s not where our energies should be focused.”