If you've been following the presidential debates and the latest news about Iran, but you're new to the political scene, you might be asking what the heck Hilary and the pundits mean when they say, "We need a carrots and sticks approach to Iran."
Here, then, as a brief explanation.
First, the literal terminology: to get a donkey or a horse to move, you'd dangle a carrot (offer a reward) and hit it with a stick (a punishment) so it does what you want.
Therefore, when it comes to Iran, moderate-to-liberal minded American politicians are of the mindset that we should take a "carrots and sticks" approach to Iranian policy-makers.
This is in opposition to the Bush administration, which has gone with a sticks-and-nothing approach. That is, they threaten war, declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guard - the Iranian version of the Secret Service - a terrorist organization, and slap major sanctions on them, all while completely ignoring the high level Iranian diplomats and politicians. This is because, according to Cheney, "We do not negotiate with terrorists."
The problem with the blanket declaration in regards to Iran- and any blanket declaration about anything - is that the situation is not black and white. Just as there are politicians of various mindsets here in the US, so is there a spectrum in Iran. They are not all absolute and total nutjobs like Ahmadinejad. (Mahmoud even has a blog! He's so hip, with his blogging and not wearing ties and making fun of gay people, even though some might speculate he is, as Dad would have put it, a little light in the loafers.) Just like, THANK THE GOOD LORD, not every politician in the US is like Dick Cheney.
That is why H. Clinton and the like have been proponents of a "carrots and sticks" approach. Carrots would be high level meetings and negotiations, and an easing of sanctions; sticks would be strengthening sanctions and keeping war-like (yikes!) aggressions on the table (which is why Hilary justifies her vote in the Senate to name the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.)
Sources:
Hilary Clinton Defends Vote
Democratic Presidential debate and follow up article on NPR
Carrots and Sticks definition
WBUR's OnPoint show on Iran and US relations
Week in the News 12/7/07 OnPoint show
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