The Foreign Service Journal - October 2017

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2017 5 October 2017 Volume 94, No. 8 FOREIGN SERVICE Focus on Dealing with Iran 20 Iran Inside and Out This in-depth look at Iran provides context and perspective for understanding the controversial nuclear deal. By Ga r y S i c k 28 What the Iran Nuclear Deal Says about Making Foreign Policy Today Doing foreign policy has rarely been easy, but several new realities contribute to making it especially difficult. By De n n i s J e t t 32 Norman Borlaug and Biotechnology Lead a U.S. Ambassador to Iran In this unusual example of the value of soft power, the often-divisive issue of biotechnology enabled the United States and Iran to find common ground. By Ke n n e t h Qu i n n 38 Iran in 2025: An Optimist’s View Iran offers a potential path to progress in dealing with a volatile Middle East and the threats emanating from there. By Da ve Sc h r o e d e r 41 From the FSJ Archives: The World of 1953 and Iran The United States is a relative late-comer to the politics of the Middle East, much of which derives from European colonialism, as this retrospective on Iran from 1980—already more than three decades past—shows. By Roy M . Me l b o u r n e Feature 44 Love in Tiflis, Death in Tehran: The Tragedy of Alexander Sergeyevich Griboyedov This story of power politics, warfare and diplomacy in 19th-century Iran and the Caucasus is a rich slice of history. It is also a cautionary tale that transcends its time and place. By J o h n L i mb e r t 44 20 41