Iranian Relations with the U.S., Iraq and Israel

If you have 50 minutes to spare, listen to this open source radio discussion of Iran and its relations with the U.S., Iraq and Israel.

The discussion with various people includes talk about Iran's role in assuring stability in Afghanistan once the U.S. decided to invade it (with the U.S. then branding Iran as part of an "axis of evil"); the U.S.'s recent overture to Iran in hopes of getting help dealing with the quagmire in Iraq; the overthrow of Mossedeq's 1953 democratically elected regime by a CIA backed coup in favour of the brutality of the Shah (Why? Because Mossedeq said he would nationalize Iranian oil.); the close relationship between Iran and Iraq that is sure to become more so; the Iranian, Israeli relationship and the mutual fears regarding security; Ahmadinejad's quoting of Khomeini (and the question of anti-Semitism); the increasing Iranian militancy; the Iranian nuclear issue; the demographics of Iran (the majority of the population being under 30 years of age; being one of the most "blogged" countries in the world); the democratic "infrastructure" of Iran - present but largely not put to use - as well as the current regime and its differences as well as continuities with this past.

It is called, "To Iran, Like Nixon to China" emphasizing the question of whether a similar detente is required with Iran. As one of the participants emphasizes, the U.S. beneficially opened channels of communication with its enemies in the past (e.g., teh Soviet Union, China) and such is imperative here and now with Iran.