The Black Box of Tehran
By David Ignatius (THE WASHINGTON POST, 20/10/06):
Here's a real-life international mystery: What happened in Tehran in September that torpedoed the prospect of negotiations with the United States over Iran's nuclear program? Were Western hopes of Iranian pragmatism simply an illusion? Are there other channels open for discussion with Tehran if the nuclear route is blocked?
U.S. and European intelligence analysts are debating these questions, and for now they don't seem to have good answers. The process of decision making in Tehran remains a "black box." Analysts can see the decisions that emerge from the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and they can hear the competing arguments of pragmatists and hard-liners.… Seguir leyendo »