Iran Should Reciprocate Obama's Courage (LEBANON)

The Obama administration's decision to join the international negotiations with Iran over the latter's nuclear energy program is a historical marker or immense importance - certainly one of the most important diplomatic turning points of our time, in my view. It marks the first time in recent memory that a developing country, one branded as part of the "Axis of Evil" by the precious American administration, forced the current president in Washington to make what might appear to be a humiliating about-face, more or less admitting defeat in the face of Iranian defiance and persistence.

The core of this reversal comes from the fact that Washington now agrees to begin negotiating with Iran even if it moves ahead with uranium enrichment. Previously, the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) had negotiated fruitlessly with Iran amid the Bush administration's insistence that Tehran needed to suspend its enrichment program before talks could advance. This led to several UN Security Council sanctions against Iran.

This is not a sign of weakness by the United States, but rather a sign of wisdom and realism for which it should be commended.

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