Giuliani suggests 'carrot and stick' policy against Iran
In article detailing his foreign policy agenda, leading candidate for Republican presidential nomination in US says he supports dialogue with Tehran in bid to reach solution for nuclear crisis, but if such solution is not found he would be in favor of destroying nuclear facilities
On the one hand, he expresses his willingness to negotiate directly with the Iranians, but on the other hand, he warns that if the dialogue does not bear fruit and the efforts to stop Tehran's nuclear program fail, he would be in favor of destroying Iran's nuclear facilities.
In an article detailing his foreign policy agenda in the prestigious Foreign Affairs journal, Giuliani wrote that "the theocrats ruling Iran need to understand that we can wield the stick as well as the carrot, by undermining popular support for their regime, damaging the Iranian economy, weakening Iran's military, and, should all else fail, destroying its nuclear infrastructure."
Giuliani's stance matches that of the other Republican presidential candidates, who are in favor of bombing Iran's nuclear facilities in order to prevent the Islamic republic from joining the group of countries possessing nuclear weapons.
US President George W Bush even hinted several days ago that Tehran would eventually pay the price for its "games".
Giuliani added in his essay that he had no doubt that " the Islamic Republic has been determined to attack the international system throughout its entire existence: It took US diplomats hostage in 1979 and seized British sailors in 2007 and during the decades in between supported terrorism and murder.
"But Tehran invokes the protections of the international system when doing so suits it, hiding behind the principle of sovereignty to stave off the consequences of its actions.
"This is not to say that talks with Iran cannot possibly work. They could – but only if we came to the table in a position of strength, knowing what we wanted," he concluded.
