Since the beginning of talks with Iran concerning its nuclear program, the NEC-SE has been the leading voice in asserting that the negotiations and any resulting deal were tied to the economic realities facing both the U.S. and China.
Today the U.S. and Iran concluded a long-term economic agreement that has shifted the paradigm in the U.S. policy from containment to economic partnership with Iran and a strategic economic relationship with China. As a result, the U.S. will gain access to Iranian oil and other markets and in doing so provide Iran with a steady buyer for its crude and provide capital investment in other sectors of its economy.
Although this arrangement will benefit both nations, Iran will get the better of it in the form of a revitalized economy and, by extension, enhanced political and military power. This support will come from Russia but more importantly will help China to stabilize its economy and open the markets of the Middle East for weapon sales for Chinas expanding weapons sale capability in the Middle East through Iranian markets. For this reason, the deal with Iran will affect America’s relationship with the Sunni states of the Middle East as well as with its closest ally in the region, Israel who is currently reliant on having to choose between China and other possible enduring partners within the Middle East. Israel is now in a place that it has to choose China over any other economic power who was hoping to expand their market footprints within the region.
Some will argue that this is not an economic agreement. But that begs the question: how is it that Iran could negotiate across the the table with the I-5 nations over a weapon that it never possessed and would not possess in the foreseeable future if the status quo of sanctions plus the threat of military action against its nuclear facilities were to remain place?
So, now that Iran has won at the negotiating table, President Obama must undertake to sell the deal to Congress by emphasizing the economic benefits it will generate while minimizing the negative impact on relations with the region’s Sunni states and Israel.
If our readers are interested to know how the presidents economic agreement with Iran will make it through Congress we recommend you visit your local representatives web site and look at the caucuses they are tied to and see how many might benefit from a stronger economic agreement in reference to Chinese future technologies in the Middle East. This may also give them an insight to who will be the leading candidate for some of the political parties in reference to the next presidential candidate pick that will represent the United States as the POTUS over the next eight years.
The below articles shows how President Obama might present his argument in favor of the deal to Congress.
http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/everything-we-know-so-far-about-the-trans-pacific-partnership-824
http://www.businessweekme.com/Bloomberg/newsmid/190/newsid/775/US-Hopes-Arms-Deals-Will-Calm-Anxiety-Over-Iran-Deal
http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/309423/israeli-generals-back-nuclear-deal-with-iran-split-with-netanyahu/
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/iran_readies_for_possible_game_change_following_nuclear_20150705