Research

Is the Obama administration making any progress on getting other countries to sign on to sanction Iran? They seem to think so. After President Obama’s meeting yesterday with the Chinese delegation, the White House is claiming that it’s achieved a huge diplomatic success, with National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs Jeffrey A. Bader calling the meeting "another sign of international unity” on the issue of sanctions on Iran.  

Yet, it appears the administration and the Chinese still do not see eye to eye on the issue, as AFP reports “China said Tuesday that sanctions were not the answer to the stand-off over Iran's nuclear program.” According to Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu:

"China always believes that dialogue and negotiation are the best way out for the issue. Pressure and sanctions cannot fundamentally solve it.”

Of course, this is not the first time the Obama administration displayed its naivete and cluelessness when it comes to international sanctions on Iran. Just last week President Obama touted that he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were finally on the same page regarding Iranian sanctions, despite the fact The Washington Post reported the Russian President “offered a broad range of objections to sanctions, including actions that would create economic hardship for Iran, foment financial chaos or lead to regime change.”

Four months after his most recent strict Iranian deadline, President Obama has done nothing to counter continued Iranian nuclear aspirations.  Unfortunately, feelings of hope and change fall flat when confronting real world issues.