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International Affairs: Iran White Papers

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Iran White Papers:

Concerns over the direction of Iran’s nuclear program continue to mount. In response, starting this summer The Century Foundation commissioned a number of expert papers and convened a set of meetings to assess realistically the issues, risks, and opportunities at hand.

The debate on United States policy toward Iran often turns on imperfectly informed assumptions. These white papers subject some of these assumptions to rigorous scrutiny and incisive analysis—and in doing so suggest some new options.

The Coming Crisis in Iran event was held on December 15. 2006 at The Century Foundation/Center for American Progress offices in Washington D.C. For more details click here. Read the transcript of the event here (PDF).

Published Papers:

Sanctions Against Iran: Key Issues

Bruce Jentleson, The Century Foundation, 2/1/2007

In a new report for The Century Foundation, Bruce Jentleson, Professor of Political Science and Public Policy Studies at Duke University, provides a framework for assessing economic sanctions as part of the international community’s non-proliferation strategy. His analysis, informed by key aspects of the Iran case and sanctions strategy more generally, presents the principal sanctions options and assesses their relative merits and risks.

To see other papers by The Century Foundation on Iran, click here.

Download the PDF document here.

Fundamentalists, Pragmatists and the Rights of the Nation: Iranian Politics and Nuclear Confrontation

Gareth Smyth, The Century Foundation, 12/15/2006

In a new report for The Century Foundation, Gareth Smyth, Tehran Bureau Chief of the Financial Times, explores the relationship between the nation’s domestic politics and the nuclear issue. The paper illustrates and analyses how Iran’s political class and leadership sees the nuclear program and the world beyond its borders, and offers insights for international engagement.

To see other papers by The Century Foundation on Iran, click here.

View the press release here.
Download the PDF document here.

A Nuclear-Armed Iran: A Difficult But Not Impossible Policy Problem

Barry Posen, The Century Foundation, 12/6/2006

In a new report for The Century Foundation, Barry Posen, a Ford International Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, examines the remaining U.S. options should negotiations and sanctions fail to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. Posen argues that the strategy of deterrence and containment, while widely resisted, has worked for the U.S. before and is preferable to the alternatives, such as preventive war.

To see other papers by The Century Foundation on Iran, click here.

View the press release here.
Download the PDF document here.

Dealing with Tehran: Assessing U.S. Diplomatic Options Toward Iran

Flynt L. Leverett, The Century Foundation, 12/4/2006

In a new report for The Century Foundation, Flynt Leverett, a senior fellow and director of the Geopolitics of Energy Initiative in the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, lays out a comprehensive strategy for diplomatic engagement with Iran. Leverett says that a successful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue requires a “grand bargain” between the United States and Iran—that is, an overarching framework in which outstanding bilateral differences are resolved as a package.

To see other papers by The Century Foundation on Iran, click here.

View Press Release Here.
Download the PDF document here.

The End of the “Summer of Diplomacy”: Assessing U.S. Military Options on Iran

Sam Gardiner, Colonel, USAF (Ret.), The Century Foundation, 9/18/2006

In a new report for The Century Foundation, Retired Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner warns that some in the Bush administration are making the case for air strikes aimed not only at setting back Iran’s nuclear program, but also at toppling the country’s government. He says that these officials are undeterred by the concerns of military leaders about whether such attacks would be effective.

Download report as PDF
Read the press release

More on this Topic:

Past Events:

International Responses to Iran’s Nuclear Program

The Coming Crisis With Iran

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