Publication

This paper discusses the strategic challenges and policy options of the US in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the case of Iran. The contributors explain that while the US has pursued a policy of containment vis-a-vis Iran since 1979, it has found it all but impossible to ignore such a fuel-rich and regionally influential nation with a population of 65 million. The paper outlines the core issues and the most complex aspects of the difficult relations between the US and Iran, and highlights the various aspects which have lead the Bush administration declare Iran as part of the "axis of evil."