Assess the effectiveness of the tools of diplomacy applied by USA govt when dealing with Iran.

1. Diplomacy and
Statecraft
Question: Assess the effectiveness of the tools of diplomacy applied by
USA govt when dealing with Iran.

2. Group Members
• Haripo L Natasha
• Sakala M Tariro
• Mukwinda R.B Susan.
• Mahate A Tinashe

3. Definition of key Terms and Qsn
Interpretation
• Def of Key Terms:
• Assess ……. evaluate nature of quality
• Effectiveness …… the degree to which something is successful in producing a desired result;

4. Contd…
• Tools ……... a device or implement used to carry out a particular function.
• diplomacy …… …At its basic level, diplomacy is a regulated process of communication
between at least two subjects, conducted by their representative agents over a particular
object.
• White (2010) defines diplomacy, both as “a communication process between international
actors that seek through negotiation and dialogue to resolve conflicts” and as “one instrument
that international actors use to implement their foreign policy”.
•
• Question Interpretation: an evaluation of the degree to which the devices or ways to engage in a
communication process with Iran has bone the desired results.

5. Tools of diplomacy :Main
• Trade Policy
• Economic sanctions
• Deterrence
• Arms Control
• Peace keeping

6. More Tools
• Negotiations
• Agreements
• Protocols

7. Agreements
• In May 2018, the Trump Administration withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement
which was called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, (JCPOA) asserting that the accord did not
address the broad range of U.S. concerns about Iranian behavior and would not permanently
preclude Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. After the U.S withdrawal from this agreement, Iran
increased its nuclear weapons which was against the will of U.S and a number of economic sanctions
were immediately imposed upon the Iran so as to suffocate it economically.
• This tool did not yield the desired results for US whose aim was to reduce Iran’s Nuclear
conscriptions in fact it the tension between U.S and Iran promptly increased and later developed to
hostility. A number of attacks between these two countries increased and the Trump Administration
continuously added sanctions upon Iran.

8. Negotiations
• Trumps administration reached out to Negotiate with Iranians after a series of hostile attacks
between the two Nations
• Trump wanted to use sanctions as a strategy to compel Iran to negotiations but its removal was
the only condition put forward by the Iranian government to engage in to negotiation with the
U.S. the negotiations between these two countries found no grounds for its facilitation as both
countries have their set own terms and conditions for those negotiations to take place though
none was willing to compromise. The situation between these countries remained tense up to
the time of the Biden administration. Under his foreign policy of reengaging, the U.S re-entered
in the joint comprehensive plan of action agreement as to restore the relationship between
these two countries. A significant contribution is beyond anyone’s doubt as the negotiations
between these two countries are being undertaken and both countries are maintaining the
demands of that agreement between them. Note that this tool brought positive expectations
towards the-re integration of Iran into the international community.
• Hence, the effectiveness of this diplomatic tool.

9. Treaties
• JPOA
• NPT
• Iran is a signatory to both but has been non compliant to both although it can be noted that
NPT is not a bilateral treaty between Iran and the US it should be looked at with a keen eye
that violation of NPT by Iran made US propose JPOA
• These treaties brought forth hostility between the two states as Iran is found in violation of both
treated therefore one can argue that the treaties are not bearing the results of us engaging
with Iran to decrease its Nuclear Weapons

10. Aid Diplomacy
• Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods or drought, are often political occasions, especially when
governments fail to respond well.
• Iran is a seismic zone, it get hit by earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.5 to 6.8 scale the most
prominent one being 1990,2002 and 2003 resulting in 75k deaths and 150k injuries
• US intervened in all three cases with an Aid of about 5 million dollars.
• The assistance from the U.S. government created a notable but temporary aura of goodwill among
Iranians. Iran's senior politicians even began to think about the possibility of official dialogue if there
were only some further changes in American foreign policy towards Iran. They were, however,
engulfed by the catastrophe of the earthquake and could hardly engage in discussions on such
grand foreign policy issues as the rapprochement with the United States.

11. Contd
• When asked about U.S. assistance and its political implications, President Khatami thanked the
United States but also stated that "humanitarian issues should not be intertwined with deep and
chronic political problems… If we see change both in tone and behavior of the U.S. administration,
then a new situation will develop in our relations. The disaster in Bam had its positive implications
though and one of them was Iran's attempt to reciprocate in a similar manner whenever the United
States faced trouble at home. In 2005, for example, Iran offered 20 million barrels of oil (worth
roughly 5 million dollars) as humanitarian assistance following the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New
Orleans. It is true that displaying such degrees of humanitarianism from both sides leads to holding a
better moral ground for them. However, since the recipient and the donor both often claimed not to
interpret their gestures politically, such assistance hardly made a dramatic breakthrough in diplomatic
relations

12. Cultural diplomacy
• According to political scientist Milton C. Cummings, cultural diplomacy is "the exchange of ideas,
information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of
fostering mutual understanding. It is called diplomacy since the interactions usually happen under the
auspices of governments. Some of the components of cultural diplomacy are:
• • Educational exchanges and scholarships
• • Cultivation of ties with foreign elites (e.g., journalists, academics, religious leaders, athletes, and key
opinion makers)
• • Cultural visits of artists (painters, m
• ovie makers, dancers, and musicians) • International culture-related conferences, symposiums and
workshops
• • Publications and development of cultural centres

13. E-Diplomacy
• In 2011, the U.S. Department of State unveiled the Virtual Embassy Tehran, an online hub at the
center of
• a new strategy designed to increase communication with Iranian citizens. This latest public diplomacy
effort
• does not imply an attempt to reestablish diplomatic relations; the Virtual Embassy, as its website
states, “is not
• a formal diplomatic mission, nor does it represent or describe a real U.S. Embassy accredited to the
Iranian

14. Cohesive Diplomacy :Sanctions
• According to Robert 2003, the United States applied trade and financial sanctions on Iran Including a
ban on purchasing Iranian oil. Despite the sanctions Iran’s economy has been ranked 28th in the
world which is much stronger than some developed countries like Denmark, Finland and Ireland (IMF;
2019). It has remained the 4th largest oil producer in the world. The UN Security Council in 2006 also
imposed sanctions on Iran for failing to suspend its nuclear enrichment activities, but Iran remained
adamant.
• In 2007 stricter sanctions were approved by the council but Iran was not moved. Its trade relations
with Russia and China made their economy stronger.
• A 3rd attempt of coercion was done with additional sanctions in 2008 which included cargo inspection
and travel restrictions for Iranian officials in a bid to make them feel diplomatically isolated, did not
yield any results as Iran enjoyed diplomatic ties with other countries like Russia and China