Political Salon
Trapped in a Paradigm of Enmity? The Obama Administration's Diplomacy with Iran

Dr. Trita Parsi
Founder and President of the National Iranian American Council and author of A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran

May 23, 2012

6:00-8:00 p.m.

Conflict Kitchen, 124 S. Highland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA

Online registration is closed. If you would like to attend, please contact Melanie Gulasy at 412-281-7970.

This event is co-sponsored by the Conflict Kitchen and the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh

Policy analysts speculated whether President Obama’s 2009 address to the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt, would usher in a new era of diplomacy between the United States and Islamic communities. On the issue of Iran, however, little progress has been made. Throughout 2009 and 2010, governments in the United States and Iran were challenged to balance competing domestic concerns which hampered diplomatic efforts to address issues such as nuclear ambitions and Iran’s support of groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Today, in the face of an ongoing international dialogue about a possible war involving Iran in 2012, it seems that neither side has exhausted all of the diplomatic tools at their disposal.

Can the Obama administration avoid another costly conflict in the Middle East, or does Iran prove to be such a threat that action must be taken? What diplomatic tools have not yet been used, and how do other international players such as European and Arab nations factor in to diplomacy? How does the United States’ relationship with Israel affect this situation? Join Dr. Trita Parsi for a timely discussion of the Obama administration’s policy regarding Iran.

Click here to view a clip of Dr. Parsi on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Dr. Trita Parsi is the founder and president of the National Iranian American Council and an expert on US-Iranian relations, Iranian politics, and Middle East politics. He is the author of the book A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran, as well as Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States. He is the 2010 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Dr. Parsi has followed Middle East politics through work on Capitol Hill and at the United Nations. He has worked for the Swedish Permanent Mission to the UN, where he served in the Security Council, handling the affairs of Afghanistan, Iraq, Tajikistan and Western Sahara, and in the General Assembly's Third Committee, addressing human rights in Iran, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Iraq. Dr. Parsi’s articles on Middle East affairs have been published in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Jane's Intelligence Review, the Nation, The American Conservative, the Jerusalem Post, The Forward, and others. He is a frequent guest on CNN, PBS's Newshour with Jim Lehrer, NPR, the BBC, and Al Jazeera. Dr. Parsi is a graduate of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where he has served as an adjunct professor.

Costs
There is a $15 charge for this event. Food and beverages included.

Participants must register to attend. No-shows and cancellations after May 18, 2012 will be charged.

Online registration is closed. If you would like to attend, please contact Melanie Gulasy at 412-281-7970.