M Santhananaban
Serious efforts are now being made by both Iran and – more desperately – the United States to end the US–Israel war against Iran as soon as possible.
The conflict has taken a severe toll on the entire global economy, driving up the costs of food, fuel and fertiliser. According to the International Energy Agency, the war has triggered the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, with the near-total halt of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz sending shockwaves across supply chains worldwide.
Geopolitical changes are also under way.
The Financial Times’ chief foreign affairs commentator, Gideon Rachman, argued in a recent piece that “Iran is beating Trump in the art of the deal”.
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This has happened because Trump launched this war with no just or reasonable cause.
And instead of deploying seasoned technocrats and diplomats at the negotiating table, he turned to his inner kitchen cabinet.
The two men he chose were more deeply mired in lucrative business dealings than in the practice of international diplomacy. This prompted alarm among foreign policy experts who warned that negotiations with a West Asian regional power are a world away from closing a business deal.
There may perhaps be no better analysis than Rachman’s assessment of this reckless US–Israel-initiated war against Iran, which began on 28 February.
Dato’ M Santhananaban is a former Malaysian ambassador with 45 years of public sector experience.
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
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