Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 12:47:35 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Iran Outsmarting US in New Cold War in Mideast

Posted May 14, 08 12:02 PM CDT in World,  US 

(Newser) – The new cold war is being waged between America and Iran, and Iran is winning hands down, Thomas L Friedman writes in the New York Times. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nation has built up influence from Iraq to Lebanon, with power over Iraq's prime minister, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militias—and a complicated set of safeguards against attack.

One former negotiator notes that after failed attempts at peace by Bill Clinton and disastrous attempts at war by George W. Bush, America is "trapped in a region which it cannot fix and it cannot abandon.” So the question for the next president is not whether to talk with Iran, but how to get the leverage needed to make such a conversation productive.

Source New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid

    Jul 30, 07 3:48 PM CDT
    White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. More »

  • Israel Cautiously Invites Syria to the Table

    Jun 7, 07 10:18 PM CDT
    Israel Cautiously Invites Syria to the Table Israel's PM deflected fears of a war with Syria today, and fueled semi-official rumors that peace talks are going on furtively between the two hostile countries. Olmert says he wants a sitdown with Syria—which would be the first in seven years—but warned president Assad that talks would not be an invitation to a land grab of territories lost in 1967. More »

An Iranian protestor holds a poster of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nsarallah in a protest over Israel's 60th anniversary, in front of the British Embassy in Tehran.   (AP Photo/Vahid e British Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, MSalemi)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is leading a country with much more leverage in the Middle East than America currently has, with a sophistocated strategy of deterrence.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
President George W. Bush, shaking hands with Israeli President Shimon Peres has managed to put the US in a position where it is "not liked, not feared and not respected" in most of the Middle East.   (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 5)

Tags

George W. Bush  • Iran  • Israel  • Hamas  • Middle East  • Syria  • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  • Hezbollah  • America  • Cold War  • Sunni allies


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »