[carl in alaska]

"Instead, the U.S. needs to offer Iran an acceptable face-saving mechanism to allow it to master, under appropriate international supervision, the nuclear fuel cycle. A seed planted now could even grow into the long-awaited detente between the two countries and help the U.S. extricate itself from Iraq."

For whatever reasons, the authors appear to be willing to take the potentially catastrophic risk that Iran would instead end up as a very hostile regime armed with nuclear weapons. Once Iran "masters the nuclear fuel cycle", Iran could immediately kick out the nuclear inspectors and end the "appropriate international surpervison." The authors are advocating a dangerous riverboat gamble that could end in catastrophe for the western world.

[freema]

Exactly.