简体中文
Despite all the criticism and skepticism, Iran's nuclear deal with six world powers still remains the most viable option for the international community to unravel this decade-old conundrum and help bring lasting peace to the most volatile part of the world.
However, the end of many months of tough talks and the birth of the deal do not mean that the world could now rest on the document. Those who are against the landmark agreement have been scrambling to second-guess and obstruct the ensuing implementation stage.
Immediately following the deal's announcement earlier last month, Israel dashed to demonizing what Tehran and world powers have spent more than one year and a half on, labeling it as a historic mistake.
The Jewish state has already kicked off its lobbying campaign to persuade U.S. politicians not to support the deal. Considering Israel's ability to sway Washington politics, it is almost certain that when U.S. President Barack Obama tries to sell the deal to the confrontational Republican-controlled congress, his administration will have no easy time.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, as well as some of America's other key allies in the Gulf area remain deeply suspicious about the deal, fearing that the deal would lead to an ear of Iran's dominance in the Middle East.
BEST OPTION SO FAR
However, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Sunni Arab Gulf monarchs are repeating their twice-told tales of how dangerous the Middle East and the wider world would be because of the deal, they have actually failed to see the merits of the deal, and a much worse scenario were this agreement to go bankrupt.
The most visible feat of the deal is that it has substantially slashed Iran's uranium enrichment abilities for at least 10 years, and has for the first time puts its nuclear activity under a verifiable international monitoring mechanism since the eruption of the country's nuclear problem some 12 years ago.
Though Israel argues that the deal could only limit Iran's alleged nuclear arms ambition temporarily, and Tehran cannot be trusted, it is still far better not to allow those in the Islamic Republic to operate their nuclear program unregulated.
Also, those who fancy a so-called better deal then the current version are just being illusionary. Iran, like every other nation, is entitled to the rights of peaceful use of nuclear power, while totally banning the country's nuclear activity for as long as possible is simply a non-starter for Tehran.
Without such a deal, or if the deal cannot be faithfully implemented for whatever reason, then the world could face a even more thorny problem then it used to have.
Without tangible international supervision, Iran could go back to install more centrifuges, enrich more weapons-grade nuclear material, and easily produce nuclear arms if it wants to. Were that to happen, the Middle East would risk a nuclear arms race that threatens the security of the entire international community.
TOUGU SELL FOR OBAMA
Facing such strong opposition, the Obama administration has wasted no time in trying to allay the worries of its allies in the Mideast.
In Doha this week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with senior officials of Arab Gulf states over the nuclear deal.
Kerry's tour of persuasion seems to be working as some of Washington's traditional partners in the region has begun to change their minds, even though their support appears to be very cautionary. Following his talks with Kerry, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah said the nuclear deal the best available option.
In fact, this is not the first such trip headed by a senior U.S. official tasked with the same job. Prior to Kerry's visit, President Obama sent his defense chief Ash Carter down to the Middle East to reassure the skeptical allies that a nuclear deal with Iran will not undermine Washington's commitment to their security.
As the GCC countries are likely to turn around to back the deal, the most difficult job now for the Obama White House is how to get Israel on board. It is noted that the top U.S. diplomat did not visit Israel during his latest tour in the region, while experts believe the skip shows a worsening ties between the two.
BROADER BENEFITS
Getting the deal implemented may be difficult, but once it is in effect, the benefits the agreement could beget will be multidimensional. The first to be rewarded would be the region's sluggish and incoherent counter-terrorism efforts.
Right now, the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which still rules large chunks of land in Iraq and Syria, has begun to plot terrorist attacks in many more countries in the region, while Washington still focuses on air strikes, which for almost a year since the line-up of a U.S.-led anti-IS coalition prove only to be futile.
Once the Shiite Iran shakes off the yoke of sanctions, and comes back to the arena as a much stronger player, it, together with other countries in the region, could serve as a very formidable force in the fight against extremist Sunni jihadists, which is also in the interests of rest of the world, including those who are trying to torpedo the deal.
Meanwhile, the deal could also be magical enough to help promote stability and peace in the Middle East as it stands as an example of how conflicting parties can resolve their differences in purely political ways. Crises in Yemen and Syria can copy such patterns to find their own solutions.
In the future, as Washington and Tehran re-approaches to each other under the deal, it could be expected that the long-lost mutual trust will come back so long as the two do not intentionally sabotage the process, then maybe the reestablishment of normal relationship between the two countries.
If so, it is then possible that Washington's allies in the region will have to face the facts on the ground, alter their regional diplomacy, and start to work with Iran. Thus finally, peace in the Middle East is perhaps at last within reach. Enditem
