Prospects for temptation in Persia by "The Great Satan" : United States engagement with Iran

• Main Author: Ducharme, Kevin C.
• Other Authors: Knopf, Jeffrey
• Published: Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/5454

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === The primary focus of today's foreign policy issues with Iran should be on arms control and Iran's development of nuclear weapons. Preventing this development can be accomplished only through engagement. If engagement cannot occur, it becomes even more likely that Iran will acquire nuclear weapons and a reliable ability to deploy these weapons in ballistic missiles. Iran then would no longer be restrained in its pursuit of aggressive foreign policy initiatives in the Middle East. The United States would have lost any influence it might have had with Iran. The major questions this thesis addresses are: To what extent has the United States used positive and negative incentives toward Iran and how effective have they been in the new millennium? Assessment will be based on reviewing how the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations interacted with the Khatami and Ahmadinejad administrations. The conclusions of this thesis will address the following questions: Are there still prospects for using positive incentives or engagement with Iran? How can these approaches be made more likely to succeed? Peace in the Middle East hinges on the United States' ability to establish stable diplomatic relations with Iran.