Today's Dose of SSP

In case you are wondering what "SSP" is, it's the acronym for "shameless self-promotion." Today, I was quoted in a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty article on the next round of US-Iran talks regarding stabilizing Iraq. Essentially, the point I was trying to make is that the talks themselves are set-up for failure and there steps that the US and Iran can both take to change this.

While I think it is a good thing that the two countries are at least meeting, there are several hinderances to progress. For starters, pointing fingers at each other in between meetings and during meetings certainly doesn't help matters. Also, the long intervals between meetings should be shortened and lower-level talks should occur to keep the communication flow going. It is my personal opinion that these talks should remain focussed on Iraq and if there is progress made on this topic, it could lay the groundwork for future talks on other outstanding issues between the two countries.

I also believe that the IAEA-Iran talks and the EU-3/Iran talks should of course be pursued in parallel.