By Nah Liang Tuang
According to renowned International Relations scholar Kenneth Waltz, “The most influential factors influencing a country’s decision to undertake a covert nuclear weapons program are the views of a country’s leaders.” Thus, while former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assumed a tough pro-nuclear programme policy towards the West, his successor, President Hassan Rouhani has expressed a willingness to negotiate with the West and, in particular, the U.S. over suspicions that Iran is militarizing its nuclear program.
Indeed, optimism is growing over a potential negotiated end to the nuclear stand-off since Rouhani has expressed a desire for progress in nuclear talks with the U.S. and other powers, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry about a nuclear program deal, and Presidents Obama and Rouhani had an unprecedented 15-minute telephone call.
Read the full story at The Diplomat