THE QUESTION

Is Iran just trying to buy time? Should the UN negotiate more with Iran, or impose sanctions because of its failure to comply?

Posted by David Ignatius on August 23, 2006 5:59 PM

FROM THE PANEL

Saul Singer is Editorial Page Editor and author of the weekly column “Interesting Times” for the Jerusalem Post. He is the author of Confronting Jihad: Israel's Struggle and the World After 9/11. Before moving to Israel from the Washington area in 1994, Mr. Singer served for ten years as an advisor on the personal and committee staffs of the United States Congress, including the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Banking Committee, and Senator Connie Mack.

Iran Can Be Stopped; Use Harsh Sanctions, and Maybe Force

Jerusalem, Israel - If the current Iranian regime is allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, global terrorism will rise as sharply as the prospects for Middle East peace will drop. This scenario would also quash the Iranian people's yearning for freedom...

Saul Singer Jerusalem, Israel | 77 COMMENTS
Aug 28, 2006 at 11:04 AM
Bill Emmott is the former editor of The Economist magazine, a leading international current affairs publication from England. He is now an independent writer, speaker, and consultant on international affairs.

Iran is Going Nuclear, the UN Can't Stop It

London, England - The truth is that Iran is following the Israeli principle: It is creating facts on the ground. Neither the UN, nor the United States, can stop Iran if (as seems certain) it chooses to develop nuclear weapons....

Bill Emmott Great Britain | 72 COMMENTS
Aug 25, 2006 at 1:58 PM
Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. Dr. Ettefagh is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of The Development Foundation, an advisor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and an advisor to a number of European companies. Dr. Ettefagh speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

Good Will and Genuine Diplomacy Wanted

Tehran, Iran - I have spent more than five hours today searching Google and world newspapers for articles about the Iran nuclear deal. Thanks to modern technology, I found more than 2100 headlines-- and that is just in English! What...

Ali Ettefagh Tehran, Iran | 22 COMMENTS
Aug 25, 2006 at 10:23 AM
Shim Jae Hoon is a Seoul-based journalist and commentator writing for a variety of international publications including YaleGlobal Online, The Straits Times of Singapore, The Taipei Times and Korea Herald. He was a correspondent for Far Eastern Economic Review in Seoul, Taipei and Jakarta.

Iran and North Korea Are Nuclear Siamese Twins

Seoul, South Korea - It is no surprise that Iran refused to halt uranium enrichment activities despite the Group of Six's package of incentives. Like Kim Jong Il in North Korea, Ahmadinejad has fashioned an argument that the pursuit of...

Shim Jae Hoon South Korea | 41 COMMENTS
Aug 24, 2006 at 8:45 AM
Iranian-born Hossein "Hoder" Derakhshan is a blogger, journalist, and internet activist. Since 2001, he has been based out of Toronto, Canada, running his award-winning weblog, Editor: Myself, which has been among the most influential blogs in the Persian language.

Iran Needs Nuclear Weapons

Paris, France - Two years ago I did not want Iran to produce nuclear energy for electricity, let alone for its military. Today I've changed my mind. Iran needs nuclear weapons to defend itself....

Hossein Derakhshan Canada/Iran | 196 COMMENTS
Aug 23, 2006 at 5:41 PM
Mahmoud Sabit is a historian and an authority on Egypt’s 19th century political reforms. Sabit also works as a writer and producer of historical documentaries.

Iran's Own Manifest Destiny

Cairo, Egypt - Middle East nations perceive the U.S. and the West trying to dominate the region through economic, political and military means. Iran's nuclear challenge to the West then becomes a welcome relief for many....

Mahmoud Sabit Cairo, Egypt | 29 COMMENTS
Aug 23, 2006 at 4:00 PM
Leon Krauze is a Mexican blogger and a founder of letraslibres.com.

Iran Is Invincible, For Now

Mexico City, Mexico - We have reached new, ominous depths when the world's cleverest political strategy is crafted in Tehran. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has taken the two main geopolitical forces of our times - the high price of oil and the...

Leon Krauze Mexico | 33 COMMENTS
Aug 23, 2006 at 4:00 PM
William M. Gumede is Associate Editor at Africa Confidential. He is Research Fellow at the School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He recently released the bestselling book Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC.

Don't Impose Sanctions, Talk First

Johannesburg, South Africa - At this stage United Nations sanctions against Iran would be an ineffective strategy. Without first talking with the regime, imposing sanctions would only strengthen the hand of Iran hardliners....

William M. Gumede South Africa | 8 COMMENTS
Aug 23, 2006 at 2:02 PM
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955. Presently he is a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States. Mr. Kuttab is the former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah, Palestine and the founder of AmmanNet, the Arab world's first internet radio station. His personal web page is www.daoudkuttab.com

For Iran and Israel, Use the Same Yardstick

Amman, Jordan - I don't accept the logic of this question. Iran's pursuit of nuclear energy is as much her right as that of any other country in the region. Only if two conditions are met would I support a...

Daoud Kuttab Princeton, NJ | 37 COMMENTS
Aug 23, 2006 at 1:55 PM
Bashir Goth is a veteran journalist, freelance writer, the first Somali blogger and editor of a leading news website. He is also a regular contributor to major Middle Eastern and African newspapers and online journals.

The Final Option: A Washington-Tehran Dialogue

Somalia/United Arab Emirates - Why does Iran insist on rebuffing the overtures of the international community? I suspect it is because Iran has already succeeded in producing highly enriched uranium and is closer than we think to making a nuclear...

Bashir Goth Somalia/UAE | 560 COMMENTS
Aug 23, 2006 at 12:23 PM

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