The Iran deal is good for Middle East peace
The international unity forged in Vienna may be able to resolve other deep-rooted regional problems in the region.
As the pros and cons of the P5+1 (UN Security Council members plus Germany) deal with Iran are being debated in the US Congress and elsewhere, it is important to look at the larger picture of this historic agreement.
It is true that there are some concerns that a sanctions-free Iran will flex its regional muscle even more after the deal. But the benefits of such a deal outweigh the fear-based perceived risks.
After years of failure on so many fronts, this is the first major breakthrough for international diplomacy.
For the first time in many years, all major world powers worked together for an agreement that pushes nuclear proliferation away.
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There are surely some warmongers claiming the deal will speed up the nuclear race, but the same international unity that was displayed in Vienna can be used again to stop any regional or international power from trying to accelerate nuclear production.
The UN’s nuclear monitor, the IAEA is stronger, not weaker as a result of this agreement.
If critics of the agreement point out that it does not tackle other Middle East hot spots, having the Iran nuclear deal behind us actually frees up time and space to pay closer attention to other pressing regional issues.
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| Analysis: Israel’s response to the Iran nuclear deal |
International unity
The international unity forged in Vienna may be able to resolve other deep-rooted problems – like Syria and Yemen. Both Iran and Russia can work with the rest of the world community to find diplomatic solutions.
The plight of “extremism” can be fought against more effectively – a fight that warrants and necessitates unified cooperation and immediate response.
Now that an agreement has been signed and the American public support it, the US Congress is less likely to oppose it.
This agreement is a victory for the doves of peace and for common sense politics, against the warmongering and fear inducing rhetoric that has become so popular in politics both domestically and internationally.
The defeat of US right wing republican militarism will resonate for years to come, hopefully resulting in a more peaceful US foreign policy regardless of who will win the next elections.
In recent months, as the writing on the wall became clearer, some elements of the pro-Israel lobby began to quietly distance themselves from the hardliners and the Likudnicks who were claiming to represent US Jewish opinion.
The Israel lobby and future of Palestine
As a result of this deal, and right wing Israelis’ insistence on opposing to it, questions of dual loyalty have become extremely worrisome to the American Jewish community.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and other pro-Israel forces may pay a price for their position against a peaceful deal and against the US President Barack Obama’s efforts to aid in the healing of the region. And in turn, their power within the US policy making process may be weakened.
It is not clear when the dust settles and the deal is approved by the US Congress whether Netanyahu will concede or if he will continue in his warmongering poster.
AIPAC will surely not go away, but instead will be forced to moderate itself. If AIPAC does not change its position on promoting peaceful compromise within the Middle East quickly, American Jewish peace groups, like J Street will no doubt expand their political outreach.
Analysts agree that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a constant source of anger in the Middle East.
Israel’s decades-old occupation of Palestinian lands has poisoned the atmosphere across the Middle East.
With Iran no longer preoccupying the world powers, and with Obama and [John] Kerry having sixteen months left in office, the coming months can see another serious push for progress.
Bull in a china shop
The right wing Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has become a bull in a china shop – he has overextended his role, cried wolf too many times, and has bet against the nuclear deal again and again.
It is not clear when the dust settles and the deal is approved by the US Congress whether Netanyahu will concede or if he will continue in his warmongering poster.
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The reaction of the White House will also be important. Will the Obama administration forgive and forget or will the Israeli leader pay a price for his obstructionism?
The US Supreme Court has already ruled that the executive branch [President Obama] has the full and sole power to recognise states. Will he work towards recognising Palestine in the final months of his second term?
Daoud Kuttab, an award-winning Palestinian journalist, is a former Ferris professor of journalism at Princeton University.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial policy.