Robert Satloff is the Segal Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a post he assumed in January 1993.
Articles & Testimony
Only firm demands for a better deal will force the president to confront an unpalatable choice: does he prefer to improve the agreement or watch it fail?
Congratulations, senators. You have fended off both advocates and critics of the Iran nuclear agreement and are among the few remaining "undecideds." You have built up leverage. How will you use it?
Since you are undecided, you don't consider the deal either brilliant or imbecilic. Rather, you recognize its achievements but also shake your heads at its flaws. You've heard the argument that scuttling the deal may ultimately leave America more isolated than Iran, but you also know from your years on foreign relations, intelligence and armed services committees that the agreement carries huge risks for U.S. and allied interests.
Deep down, you would like to improve the deal by closing loopholes and strengthening deterrence that has been eroded by the administration's eagerness to get across the finish line. You have been impressed by suggestions on how to achieve this goal unilaterally by the U.S. government or jointly with our European allies, i.e., without even opening the agreement for renegotiation. The question for you is how to use your vote to improve the deal. As you consider this, please beware of falling into the same trap that the president himself fell into with the Iranians...
