Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Our pick

Biden to review but not rewind Washington’s Iran policy

Angelos Kaskanis by Angelos Kaskanis
7 December 2020
in Our pick
Biden to review but not rewind Washington’s Iran policy
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Thessaloniki (Brussels Morning) The incoming Democratic administration will soon have to review US foreign policy across the board: from climate change to Iran. 

There is no such a thing as a “strategic rewind” to the Obama state of affairs. In dealing with Iran, the strategies of both the “hawkish” and the more “dovish” foreign policy circles point towards Washington taking a back seat.  

Democrats face their own divisions

It should be recalled that the campaign to undermine the 2015 Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) signed between Iran, the United States, Germany, France, the UK and the EU was met with fierce opposition in Washington. 

Senator Joe Lieberman led the United Against Nuclear Iran group that channelled millions of dollars to a campaign to derail the deal. Their biggest achievement proved to be convincing candidate Donald Trump to make the demise of JPOA a central promise of his campaign. 

But even within the Democratic Party, there was fierce resistance to the JPOA. At the time, there was at least one Democrat in the Senate and 11 in the House of Representatives that joined the Lieberman campaign.

Overall, the question is how much of the US “maximum pressure” policy will remain in place. The answer is not straightforward since, as President, Biden will need to choose his battles. President-elect Biden has made clear he wants Washington to return to the five-plus-one format of the JPOA. However, articulating a policy objective and spending the political capital required to make it happen are two different things. 

Let Europe take the lead

The foreign ministers of Germany, France and the UK met in Berlin in late November to coordinate their Iran policy. When all is said and done, a Biden administration may very well decide to facilitate the work of Washington’s European allies by taking a back seat. 

To restore a narrative of peace, Tehran will demand the end of sanctions. Any concrete concession on that front would alleviate economic pressure at home and allow moderates in Tehran to re-engage with the West. 

In order to move swiftly, President-elect Biden would only need to lift the US threat of secondary economic sanctions vis-à-vis the US’s European Allies, allowing France and Germany to restore some of their commercial ties with Tehran. That would be less complicated than engaging directly, given the polarising effect Iran has on US domestic politics. 

In principle, Europe has always remained committed to the JPOA. 

In January 2019, the EU launched a special purpose vehicle enabling “barter trade” to facilitate buying essential items for Iran, circumventing US sanctions. But France and Germany could not persuade Renault, TOTAL or Mercedes Benz to remain in Iran while Washington threatened sanctions.

The threat of retaliatory measures was concrete: freezing US assets, and disrupting access to the US market, and even prosecuting management in the US. 

A nod from Washington could change this calculation with limited political cost at home.  

Trump’s legacy of escalation

Overall, the legacy of the Trump Administration is the gradual withdrawal of US power from around the world as an end in-itself. This has created a power vacuum filled by Russia, Turkey, and Iran across the Middle East. 

At the same time, the US President has escalated US confrontation with Iran using covert action. 

Following the assassination of Iran’s foremost military leader in the Middle East, Qasem Soleimani, Tehran suffered a tactical blow of strategic significance. Soleimani’s personal web of political alliances allowing Shia militias to play a significant role from Yemen to Lebanon is not easy to hand over.  

On 27 November, the Trump Administration sought to strike a second tactical blow of strategic significance, greenlighting the assassination of Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s top nuclear scientist.  

However, Washington is not necessarily able to capitalise on these tactical gains. 

Pluri-national alliances on the ground are gaining ground, such as the emerging understanding between Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  It is doubtful that Washington will re-emerge as a hegemonic “security provider” restoring the balance of power in the region. 

While it is clear that the Biden administration will seek to restore some stability and US influence in the region, the time for a “strategic rewind” has come and gone. President Obama was probably the last President of a superpower in the Middle East.

Tags: Democratic administrationMain-SliderUS President Joe Biden

Latest post

Capaci,,Italy,-3,July,2016,-,The,Memorial,Monument,On

Mafia: from attacks to business

8 hours ago
Athens

What Are 10 Best Budget Hotels In Athens?

8 hours ago

Most Read

  • shutterstock_1821616664

    MEPs send Open Letter urging the Home Secretary Priti Patel to reject Assange’s extradition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • These are the 10 highest paying jobs in the Europe in 2022

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why corruption matters

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Brussels residents want to set up school for Ukrainian children

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sweden: Taking Syrian children away from parents for protection?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Print Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT