Which Path to Persia? Options for a New American Strategy toward Iran

by Pollack, Kenneth M.; Byman, Daniel L.; Indyk, Martin S.

• ISBN13: 9780815703419
• ISBN10: 0815703414
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-13
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Summary

Crafting a new policy toward Iran is a complicated, uncertain, and perilous challenge. Since it is an extremely complex society, with an opaque political system, it is no wonder that the United States has not yet figured out the puzzle that is Iran. With the clock ticking on Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities, solving this puzzle is more urgent than ever.

Author Biography

Kenneth M. Pollack is director of research at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. His books include A Path out of the Desert: A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East (Random House). Daniel L. Byman is a senior fellow at the Saban Center, director of the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, and author of The Five Front War: The Better Way to Fight Global Jihad (Wiley). Martin Indyk is director of the Saban Center, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, and the author of Innocent Abroad: An Intimate Account of American Peace Diplomacy in the Middle East (Simon Schuster). Suzanne Maloney is a senior fellow at the Saban Center. She has worked on the State Department's Policy Planning Staff where she provided analysis of Middle East issues. Michael E. O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at Brookings and author of Budgeting for Hard Power (Brookings). Saban Center Senior Fellow Bruce Riedel served as chairman of President Obama's Strategic Review of U.S. Policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan and is the author of The Search for al Qaeda (Brookings).

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Introduction: The Trouble with Tehran: U.S. Policy Options toward Iran	p. 1
Dissuading Tehran: The Diplomatic Options	p. 29
An Offer Iran Shouldn't Refuse: Persuasion	p. 31
Tempting Tehran: The Engagement Option	p. 57
Disarming Tehran: The Military Options	p. 83
Going All the Way: Invasion	p. 87
The Osiraq Option: Airstrikes	p. 103
Leave It to Bibi: Allowing or Encouraging an Israeli Military Strike	p. 125
Toppling Tehran: Regime Change	p. 141
The Velvet Revolution: Supporting a Popular Uprising	p. 143
Inspiring an Insurgency: Supporting Iranian Minority and Opposition Groups	p. 157
The Coup: Supporting a Military Move against the Regime	p. 170
Deterring Tehran: Containment	p. 179
Accepting the Unacceptable: Containment	p. 183
Conclusion: Crafting an Integrated Iran Policy: Connecting the Options	p. 201
Notes	p. 217
Authors	p. 227
Index	p. 231
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