Looking for Engagement with Iran?

Well, my time here is up. Judah should be back in the driver’s seat before long and I’ll be back to my regular home on the Web. It’s been a pleasure filling in for Judah over the last week, and my partner in crime, Matt Eckel, and I thank both him and Hampton for having us here at World Politics Review. We had a great week and a lot of fun, and invite readers to keep up with our regular musings at the link above.

In the meantime, I have one piece of advice for the Obama administration: if you’re looking to engage the Iranian government, I can’t think of a better place for Washington to start than in dispatching a credible, senior-level US official to deal directly with the powers-that-be in the Iranian government to negotiate for Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi’s release from prison. Doing so would have the dual benefit of pursuing a positive end in and of itself (i.e. the release of a journalist detained on dubious grounds) and testing the waters for future engagement with Iran or letting the regime show its true colors. Dennis Ross, this one is all yours.