Share
The Washington Post Subscription
Joe Biden has begun his presidency with great success. He has moved to address the central issue facing the country — the pandemic — and proposed big, bold policies to help the country recover. He seems to have learned a key lesson from the Obama years: that Democrats do well when they act with imagination and courage, rather than waiting around and watering down proposals in the vain hope of Republican support. But while the Biden administration has adopted a confident, assertive stance on domestic policy, on foreign policy it has taken a strikingly different approach — hesitant, diffident and fixated on preemptively mollifying its Republican critics.
Ever since then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran deal, Biden and his top advisers have made clear that the withdrawal was a serious mistake, one that dramatically undermined the United States’ credibility with the world and created a more dangerous Middle East. The deal had placed Iran in a box, imposing strict limits on its nuclear program. Without them, Tehran was moving ever closer to nuclear weapons.
You would assume that, once in office, the Biden administration would be searching for a quick way to return to the deal. No, it turns out. Both the secretary of state and the director of national intelligence say that rejoining the deal is “a long ways” away. They insist that Iran first come back into compliance, but that’s largely a tactic to avoid confronting the issue. Diplomats could find a method for the two countries to rejoin simultaneously. Many of Biden’s officials helped negotiate the Iran accord and argued strenuously that it was the best deal that the United States could get. Have they changed their minds?
By Fareed Zakaria | 11 Feb 2021
RELATED TOPICS:
LA Judge Deals a Blow to Law Allowing Duplexes in Single-Family Tracts
3 hours ago
US Announces New Patriot Missiles for Ukraine as Part of New $6 Billion Aid Package
3 hours ago
Andy Reid and Taylor Swift Agree: Fresno’s Xavier Worthy Is a Great 1st-Round Draft Pick
3 hours ago
Egypt Sends Delegation to Israel, Its Latest Effort to Broker a Cease-Fire Between Israel and Hamas
4 hours ago
Antony Blinken Meets With China’s President Xi as US, China Spar Over Bilateral and Global Issues
4 hours ago
Key Questions About CA Budget Deficit Unanswered as Deadlines Loom
8 hours ago
Is This Your Next BFF? Meet Girlfriend, a Professionally Trained Adventure Dog!
8 hours ago
Tennessee Lawmakers Pass Bill Criminalizing Adults Assisting Minors in Gender-Affirming Care
21 hours ago
Political Stunt, Egg on His Face, Personal Vendetta. Who’s Fresno DA Talking About?