The aim of U.S. diplomacy should be to reconcile Iran's nuclear ambitions with international concerns about proliferation and to address the broader issues raised by Iran's regional behavior.
While the fall of Western-oriented Arab governments may appear to be a blow to Washington and a boon for Tehran, the expectation that Iran will fill the Middle East power vacuum is short-sighted.
Since Iran’s power in the Middle East is due chiefly to its political influence, rather than its military prowess, U.S. policy should aim to dilute Tehran’s influence abroad and strengthen moderate forces within Iran.
As Egypt begins its efforts to create a more democratic and inclusive government, Iran seems to be moving in the opposite direct.
As unrest continues throughout the Middle East, members of the Iranian parliament have called for the execution of leading opposition figures and concerns are growing that Iranian regime will impose a brutal crackdown on protesters.
In both Egypt and Iran, youth are at the forefront of the struggle for change as both governments must struggle to generate jobs for their growing populations and diminish the growing gap between the rich and the poor.
With international media effectively prevented from covering the protests in Iran, the regime is using repressive techniques to try to bring an end to opposition demonstrations in the county.
Although the circumstances in Egypt and Iran are significantly different, protestors in Iran are being inspired by Egypt’s example and some of the Iranian opposition have begun to call for an end to the regime in Tehran.
Although a new round of talks regarding Iran’s nuclear program is taking place in Turkey, the nation's leaders will play a minimal role in the negotiations as the P5+1 works to curtail an Iranian bomb.
The suicide of Alireza Pahlavi, the youngest son of the late Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, demonstrates how the reverberations of the 1979 Islamic Revolution are still being felt today.