Rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran "will happen sooner rather than later" says Parviz.
I agree. There are multiple signs that the powers that be will let it happen this year.
The New York Times prints an op-ed urging for an immediate dialogue with the Ahmadinejad government.
It also sent Roger Cohen, its columnist for foreign affairs, to Iran and in the last three weeks he has written seven columns on Iran, all of them with a very positive tone. The most important one was published today on Iranian Jews:
“Let them say ‘Death to Israel,’ ” he said. “I’ve been in this store 43 years and never had a problem. I’ve visited my relatives in Israel, but when I see something like the attack on Gaza, I demonstrate, too, as an Iranian.”
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Perhaps I have a bias toward facts over words, but I say the reality of Iranian civility toward Jews tells us more about Iran — its sophistication and culture — than all the inflammatory rhetoric.
As Cohen is a Jew and usually on Israel's side, the lobby will have difficulties to defame him for these lines.
The NYT editors would not push like this without some background information on coming policy changes.
The Canadian Globe & Mail chips in with a piece on Iran: the enemy that almost isn't debunking the 'nuclear threat' and other issues.
Italy, which is currently leading the G8, invited Iran to a G8+ foreign minister level meeting on Afghanistan.
The Jewish controlled Hollywood did NOT give an Oscar to the Israeli propaganda movie "Waltz With Bashir".
Despite several leaks and pushes by Dennis Ross friendly forces the Obama administration has NOT named him as the official point man for Iran. Ross' plan was to lead negotiations with Iran to let them fail and then to go to war for whatever fake reason. With Chas Freeman, an outspoken critic of Israel likely to be appointed head the National Intelligence Council, it will be difficult for Ross and others to make up a war reasoning out of thin air.
Another factor that will make a rapprochement easier is the presumably very right wing new Israeli government. Within a few month Nethanjahu and Lieberman will make themselves obnoxious in Washington and elsewhere. The Israel Lobby will lose power by supporting these lunatics.
Sure, there will be a public relations war where the lobby will push against rapprochement and the realists will push back. The Israeli government will try all tricks to spoil the party.
But the U.S.' need for Iranian cooperation on Iraq and Afghanistan is huge. The Iranian nuclear know-how ghost can not be put back into the bottle anyway. There is no other real reason to keep the relations as bad as they are.
Get ready for business …