Beyond Containment: US-Iranian Relations at a Crossroads

1 For examples of this criticism and these views see Zbigniew Brzezinski, Brent Scowcroft, & Richard Murphy, `Differentiated Containment', Foreign Affairs, vol. 76, no. 3, May/June 1997, pp. 20-30; Graham Fuller & Ian Lesser, `Persian Gulf Myths', Foreign Affairs, vol. 76, no. 3, May/June 1997, pp. 42-52; Gary Sick, `The United States and Iran: Truth and Consequences', Contention, vol. 5, no. 2, Winter 1996, pp. 59-78; and Robert Pelletreau, `Peace Process Impasse and Cracks in Containment: Challenges Facing the United States in the Middle East', Dinner Address to the Seventh Annual International Petroleum Forum, Washington DC, 8 April 1997.

2 `World Bank Pledges Loan Review in 1997', Middle East Economic Digest, vol. 39, no. 44, 3 November, 1995, p. 14.

3 On 28 September 1997, TOTAL, Gazprom of Russia, and Petronas of Malaysia signed a USD 2 billion contract with the Iranian government to produce natural gas from the South Pars field.

4 Jeffrey Smith & Thomas Lippman, `White House Agrees to Bill Authorizing Covert Action in Iran', Washington Post, 22 December 1995, p. A27.

5 US Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995 (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1996), p. 1152.

6 Roger Kaplan, ed., Freedom in the World (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1996), p. 271.

7 United States Department of State, Patterns of Global Terrorism (Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1997), p. 23.

8 `US Defense Secretary Warns Iran on Use of Chinese Missile in Persian Gulf', Middle East Monitor, vol. 27, no. 6, June 1997, p. 44.

9 International Institute for Strategic Studies, The Military Balance (New York: Oxford University Press, various years).

10 Elaine Sciolino, `Iran's Problems Raising Doubts of Peril to US', New York Times, 5 July 1994, p. A5.

11 Steven Greenhouse, `US Seeks to Deny A-Plants to Iran', New York Times, 25 January 1995, p. 1.

12 The Silver Books were plans for military strikes against weapons of mass destruction facilities in a number of `rogue' nations. See Hans M. Kristensen & Joshua Handler, `The USA and Counter-Proliferation', Security Dialogue, vol. 27, no. 4, December 1996, pp. 387-399, at p. 391.

13 For example, the annual growth rate of the GNP per capita in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar for the same decade (1985-95) was -1.9, -2.8, and -4.2 respectively. See The World Bank, World Development Report (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), Table 1, p. 215.

14 `Iran: High Economic Growth Rate Claimed', Middle East Economic Digest, vol. 41, no. 13, 28 March 1997, p. 9.

15 Last June, the National Iranian Oil Company agreed to spend USD 250 million on upgrading a large refinery in southern China to increase its capacity for processing Iranian crude oil.

16 George Lenczowski, `The Caspian Oil and Gas Basin: A New Source of Wealth?', Middle East Policy, vol. 5, no. 1, January 1997, p. 112.

17 Lee Hamilton, Brian Atwood, Peter Gubser, Sara Roy, `Symposium: Development Assistance to the Middle East: Critical Perspectives', Middle East Policy, vol. 4, no. 4, October 1996, p. 20.

18 Alison Mitchell, `Clinton Sees Hope in the Election of Moderate as President of Iran', New York Times, 30 May 1997, p. A10.

19 Madeleine Albright, Remarks at National Press Club, Washington DC, 6 August 1997.

20 `Iran's Leader Blames US for Poor Ties', New York Times, 28 May 1997, p. A6.

21 See Pelletreau, `Peace Process Impasse...' note 1 above.

22 Last July, Washington announced that it would not oppose a proposed USD 1.6 billion gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Turkey through Iran.