Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, is well-known in intellectual circles as a thoughtful advocate of U.S.-Iran dialogue.
So it is no great surprise that Esfandiari, visiting her ailing mother in Iran, was imprisoned just as Iran and the U.S. began the first serious diplomatic talks in nearly three decades.
On Tuesday came the news that she and two others similarly situated will be charged with spying.
The actions are emblematic of larger power struggles both inside and outside Iran. Internally, any move toward normalizing relations with the U.S. pits Iranian moderates against hardliners. Regionally, Iran is striking a new bravado in the destabilized Middle East as it tries to assert itself as the regional leader.
It is incumbent upon the U.S. to continue talks with Iran and to move away from the years-long strategy of trying to isolate the country.
The detentions and passport seizures of Esfandiari and others surely seem like an attempt to derail talks and escalate tensions between the countries.
Many think it also is part of a larger crackdown by the Iranian government. Last year, the Bush administration announced a $75 million program to promote democracy in Iran, offering aid to activists and intellectuals in Iran. It’s not hard to imagine how those wielding power in Iran’s Shiite theocracy might view the program, given that the might of the U.S. military is parked next door in Iraq.
Hadi Ghaemi, Iran analyst for Human Rights Watch, told The Washington Post: “They are obsessed with the perception that the U.S. is fueling a velvet revolution through this money.”
None of this may change while Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an outspoken critic of the Bush administration, is still in power and oil, the lifeblood of the Iranian economy, is at $65 a barrel. Ahmadinejad has thumbed his nose at the world community, refusing to curtail Iran’s nuclear program and proclaiming Israel ought to be “wiped off the map.”
Against this backdrop, the detentions and imprisonments have played out. Those who know Esfandiari, who directs Middle East studies at the respected Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., say allegations that she is a spy are absurd.
The U.S. and Iran have many issues to deal with in the coming years - terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation, energy concerns and Arab-Israeli peace. Whether cooler heads can quietly manage Esfandiari’s prompt release may give an indication of how far there is to go.
