Can a Nuclear Iran be Contained?

Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security Initiative to Hold Key Debate on the Viability of an Iranian Containment Strategy

WASHINGTON, June 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the discussion intensifies over a fourth round of Russia and China-supported U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran and a new nuclear fuel swap agreement between Iran, Turkey and Brazil, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) will hold a debate on the prospects for containing a nuclear-capable Iran. Does the Cold War have anything to teach us about how to deal with a nuclear Iran? Does the U.S. possess the key elements for a successful containment strategy? What consequences would result from failed containment?

This timely debate will consider whether containment is a viable alternative to a strategy of convincing Iran to halt its uranium enrichment. The debate is part of the BPC's National Security Initiative Iran project series co-chaired by Senators Daniel Coats and Charles Robb, and General (ret.) Chuck Wald. The purpose of the debate is to inform both the policy community and the project co-chairs in developing their final recommendations for NSI's third report on Iran, "When Time Runs Out" to be released in late June.  

WHO:       Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Deputy National Security Advisor

Moderated by Jackson Diehl, The Washington Post

WHAT:       Policy Debate: Can a Nuclear Iran be Contained?

WHEN:       Tuesday, June 8, 2010

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

WHERE:        Bipartisan Policy Center

1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000

Washington, DC 20005

About the Bipartisan Policy Center

In 2007, former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George Mitchell formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to develop and promote solutions that can attract the public support and political momentum to achieve real progress. Currently, the BPC focuses on issues including health care, energy, national and homeland security, transportation, science and economic policy. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/.

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center