Malici: Oppose the March of Folly
Citing the title of a favorite book, Furman Political Science professor Dr. Akan Malici says President-elect Donald Trump’s bent on rolling back the terms of the Iran nuclear agreement is tantamount to The March of Folly.
In an opinion piece he wrote for The Greenville News, Malici says reneging on the deal would compromise the United State’s ability to normalize relations with Iran, and hamstring our efforts to make inroads in other diplomatic arenas like Persian Gulf security and the conflict in Syria. Backpedaling on the deal would also hamper United State’s attempts to partner with Iran on the war on terror (namely ISIS) according to Malici. Finally, as the accord was reached on a multilateral front, should the United States back out, it would be moved to reinstate sanctions for Iran. Other partners may not impose sanctions, which would leave Iran means to pursue a nuclear program. Says Malici, “…the deal has been outstandingly successful in achieving its goals – halting and reversing Iran’s nuclear progress while avoiding a costly and risky war.”