Containing Differences And Migitating Conflict

Talking about what the U.S. can expect from negotiations with Iran, the Carnegie Endowment's Karim Sadjadpour sounds like Richard Nixon talking about the Soviet Union:

I think the individuals who are currently running Iran believe enmity toward the United States to be an inextricable part of the Islamic Republic’s identity and ideological narrative.

This doesn’t mean that we shun dialogue with Iran, but we should have realistic expectations of what it will achieve. Our conflicts with Iran are not due to simple misunderstandings, but real, serious differences about the way the world ought to be. For me the utility of negotiations is not necessarily to resolve our differences with Iran, but to contain our differences and to mitigate the prospects of escalation and conflict.

Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan