Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories App Finder: Top tax apps Ashland Calendar, Friday, March 20 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Should Ashland homeowners be able to rent rooms short-term? Beetles taking toll on Ashland pines Education Northwest Pizza to raise money for Ashland Schools Foundation Prisoners in their own home Louie's to donate sales to Helman Hug Fund Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Ashland Kiwanis recognizes Samara Diab Environment Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Business Breaking ground on organic vineyard practices Southern Oregon University: Recent and pending projects at SOU total about $132 million Test Drive: 2015 Subaru Outback Limited Silvio Calabi: 2015 Cherokee is a modern Jeep Ride & Drive: 2015 Hyundai Genesis Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries James Ellis York Death Notices Death Notices Shiela R. Ettlich Karen June Shaw Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Sports Latest Stories Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Weber, Smith earn All-American honors Oregon's Altman used to rebuilding, reloading Wade scores 32, Heat rally to beat Blazers AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title High school Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Fredrickson leads Grizzlies to season-opening romp Grizz alpine skiers finish strong at state Ashland High's Honsinger tops field in final nordic ski meet Southern Oregon University Weber, Smith earn All-American honors Oregon's Altman used to rebuilding, reloading AHS grad Bailey claims national wrestling title Thompson, Weber to play in all-star game Beavers get No. 3 seed, host NCAA games Voices Latest Stories Letters to the Editor, March 20 Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons Bert Etling: A homegrown news diet Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Editorial Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Our view: Keep it simple in developing marijuana rules Our View: Ashland is at risk as a bad fire season looms Letters Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Letters to the Editor, March 18 Letters to the Editor, March 17 Letters to the Editor, March 14 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Columns Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons Bert Etling: A homegrown news diet Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Council Corner: City considers the sharing economy Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Best bets for entertainment around Ashland, March 19 Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Community blog: Herzog scholarship for young writers Movie listings: March 13-18 Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Andrew Lloyd Webber's lush musical 'Sunset Boulevard' opens at Camelot Theatre in Talent Oregon Shakespeare Festival designer for a half-century says he's still learning Ashland High School Drama Club to host Showcase Night on Thursday Music Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center The Farr Side: Madonna — ever the trendsetter Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen performs at the Unitarian Fellowship in Ashland Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 More wonderful wrinkles at 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' 8 must-see spring films Movie review: ‘Wrecking Crew’ is a look at the people who really put the bomp Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: Looking for the zodiacal light Health Watch: 5 tips for seasonal allergy relief A better bedtime Studying stress Eat this, not that Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, March 20 ... Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class ... Jeffrey Gillespie: The return of the neocons ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, March 20 ... Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Comment By Arthur I. Cyr More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Arthur I. Cyr More Content Now Posted Mar. 19, 2015 at 12:20 PM By Arthur I. Cyr More Content Now Posted Mar. 19, 2015 at 12:20 PM » Social News Iran is now a source of tremendous strain in United States domestic politics as well as foreign policy. Escalating divisions between Democrats and Republicans are greatly complicating our foreign policy. In the end, this may strengthen the influence of the fundamentalist Islamic regime in Tehran. In the United States Senate, 47 Republicans have decided to make foreign policy on their own, in a bid to undercut the Obama administration. Their collective letter, dated March 9, warned that the next president of the U.S. would not be bound by the agreement. The communication was addressed to the Ayatollah Khamenei, the religious leader of Iran, rather than to elected President Hassan Rouhani. Concern about the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons is one important factor. Overriding incentives, however, include domestic political calculations, the approaching 2016 presidential election and intense dislike of – indeed disdain for – President Obama. The White House has made the situation worse by responding in kind. On March 14, the White House sent a combative letter from Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, addressed to Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker. Corker was one of seven courageous Republican senators who refrained from signing the misguided rhetorical missile. The March 10 appearance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the U.S. Congress added further emotional and political fuel to these fires. With characteristic eloquence, and arrogance, he lectured Americans on the errors of our ways. He was invited to speak by Republican House Speaker John Boehner, over the strenuous objections of the White House. Mario Loyola, writing in the conservative “National Review,” argues the controversial Republican letter should more appropriately have been addressed to President Obama. In the same sensible spirit, Obama should have signed the White House reply. That response should have gone to Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, to underscore the highly partisan character of the ploy by the Republicans. Meanwhile, there have been some signs of progress in the multilateral negotiations to limit and regulate Iran’s program. Russia is one of our partners in these talks. Our internal divisions can only further encourage unilateral moves by aggressive, ambitious President Vladimir Putin. Beneath the broad tapestry of Iran’s extremist fundamentalism, some signs of moderation among the diverse factions at the top have been visible. Rouhani was elected on a platform to rebuild the beleaguered economy, improve relations with western nations and develop a formal legal charter protecting civil liberties. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Rouhani’s predecessor, was given to far more inflammatory and overtly hostile rhetoric, toward Israel and the U.S. in particular. Yet that only worked up to a point. Zbigniew Brzezinski, President Carter’s national security adviser and now at Johns Hopkins University, remains an interested – and often acutely perceptive - analyst of Iran developments. He has emphasized that the fundamentalist mullahs running the country face very fundamental problems. Without a nuclear agreement, sanctions on Iran could lead to greater extremism, along with leaving Tehran free to pursue the bomb. Brzezinski believes astute diplomacy long-term could move Iran in the direction of Turkey, an Islamic population that is an important NATO ally. As usual, history provides important insights. Nearly a decade before the Bush administration invaded Iraq, former President Richard Nixon wrote in his book “Beyond Peace” that invading provocative Saddam Hussein’s Iraq would be a mammoth blunder, leading to expansion of the regional influence of Iran. History confirms Nixon’s insight and should inform policy. Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of “After the Cold War” (Macmillan and NYU Press). He can be reached at [email protected]. By Arthur I. Cyr More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Arthur I. Cyr More Content Now Posted Mar. 19, 2015 at 12:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501