• Research
  • Politika
  • About
Carnegie Russia Eurasia center logoCarnegie lettermark logo
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Jessica Tuchman Mathews",
    "Dmitri Trenin"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Middle East",
    "Iran",
    "Syria"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Security",
    "Military",
    "Foreign Policy",
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

What America Must Do

America’s relationship with the world is in disrepair. Anger, resentment, and fear have replaced the respect the United States once enjoyed. The next U.S. president should improve relations with Syria, and the mullahs in Tehran may be willing to shelve their nuclear plans permanently in exchange for a little face time with the United States.

Link Copied
By Jessica Tuchman Mathews and Dmitri Trenin
Published on Jan 2, 2008

Source: Foreign Policy

America's relationship with the world is in disrepair. Anger, resentment, and fear have replaced the respect the United States once enjoyed. Foreign Policy magazine asked a group of the world's leading thinkers,(including two Carnegie experts) to answer one question: What single policy or gesture can the next president of the United States make to improve America's standing in the world?

What America Must Do: Open the Door To Damascus
Carnegie President Jessica T. Mathews explains why she believes the next U.S. president should improve relations with Syria. “Syria seems to have come to the conclusion that it would rather have a relationship with the West than simply be isolated in a pot with Iran,” she argues. “Given that we have so few positive options in the Middle East, this seems to me to be an obvious opportunity that we have ignored.” Click here to read the interview about Mathews' article.

Mathews' full article is only available to FP subscribers. A short excerpt is available here:  What America Must Do: Open the Door To Damascus, Foreign Policy, January/February 2008.

What America Must Do: Travel to Tehran
Carnegie's Dmitri Trenin explains that the mullahs in Tehran may be willing to shelve their nuclear plans permanently in exchange for a little face time with the United States. “The United States needs to impress upon Iran that it considers Iran a major power in the region, and that it recognizes it has legitimate interests,” he argues. “So, when the United States deals with countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, it will do so in consultation with Iran.” Click here to read the interview about Trenin's article.

Trenin's full article is only availble to FP subscribers.  A short excerpt is available here: What America Must Do: Travel to Tehran, Foreign Policy, January/February 2008.

Click here for more expert answers to the question: What single policy or gesture can the next president of the United States make to improve America’s standing in the world? 

About the Authors

Jessica Tuchman Mathews

Distinguished Fellow

Mathews is a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She served as Carnegie’s president for 18 years.

Dmitri Trenin

Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center

Trenin was director of the Carnegie Moscow Center from 2008 to early 2022.

Authors

Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Distinguished Fellow
Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Dmitri Trenin
Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center
Political ReformSecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNuclear PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastIranSyria

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Russia Is Approaching a Political Crossroads

    Two divergent trends—Putin’s hardline vision of how to prosecute the war in Ukraine, and a growing desire for change in Russia—could tear the regime apart. 

      Tatiana Stanovaya

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Control Above Reform: What’s Behind Ukraine’s Government and Security Reshuffle?

    Ultimately, Zelensky sided neither with the reform camp nor with the military establishment as such, but with political control.

      Balázs Jarábik

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Where Are President Tokayev’s Political Reforms Leading Kazakhstan?

    Tokayev’s predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, outlined arrangements for a power transition too soon and in too much detail, ultimately losing control over the process. Tokayev is determined not to meet the same fate.

      Temur Umarov

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    What Should We Take From Andrey Melnichenko’s Essay in the Economist?

    Andrey Melnichenko’s essay offers no answer to the fundamental question of how, under any kind of negotiated settlement, Europe can protect itself from the Russian ressentiment that is inevitable in all scenarios except for an outright victory for Putin.

      Leonid Bershidsky

  • Commentary
    Carnegie Politika
    Parliamentary Elections in Occupied Ukraine Risk Backfiring for the Kremlin

    Despite unhappiness on the ground, Moscow is determined to use both carrot and stick to ensure there is record support for United Russia in occupied Ukraine.

      Konstantin Skorkin

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
Carnegie Russia Eurasia logo, white
  • Research
  • Politika
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.