Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Project to Hold Key Debate on the Viability of an Iranian Containment Strategy

June 1, 2010

Washington, D.C. - As the discussion intensifies over a fourth round of Russia and China-supported U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran and a new nuclear fuel swap agreement between Iran, Turkey and Brazil, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) will hold a debate on the prospects for containing a nuclear-capable Iran. Does the Cold War have anything to teach us about how to deal with a nuclear Iran? Does the U.S. possess the key elements for a successful containment strategy? What consequences would result from failed containment?

This timely debate will consider whether containment is a viable alternative to a strategy of convincing Iran to halt its uranium enrichment. The debate is part of the BPC’s National Security Project (NSP) Iran project series co-chaired by Senators Daniel Coats and Charles Robb, and General (ret.) Chuck Wald. The purpose of the debate is to inform both the policy community and the project co-chairs in developing their final recommendations for NSP’s third report on Iran, “When Time Runs Out,” to be released in late June.

WHO:

• Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
• Elliott Abrams, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations; Former Deputy National Security Advisor
• Moderated by Jackson Diehl, The Washington Post

WHAT: Policy Debate: Can a Nuclear Iran be Contained?
WHEN: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
WHERE: Bipartisan Policy Center, 1225 I Street NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005

Space is limited. Members of the press wishing to attend please RSVP to press@bipartisanpolicy.org.

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Iran Initiative, National Security Project