With riots erupting in the streets of Iran, many have
criticized
the Obama Administration’s refusal to take a side on the issue.  In light of the current crisis, there is a
renewed opportunity to look at past diplomatic relations in order to develop a
strategy for the future. 

In his classic work Ideology
and U.S. Foreign Policy, Michael Hunt argues that, in its dealing with
foreign nations, the U.S.
frequently assumes a position of superior knowledge and wisdom, offering
assistance and aid to those whose revolutions are deemed worthy and condemning
those felt to be frivolous.  The United States
has acted, he writes, with a “special understanding of appropriate
revolutionary behavior” allowing for “an American right to judge and instruct
other peoples.”  Perhaps in an effort to
avoid this rather controversial position, the Obama administration has shied
away from vocalizing a firm opinion on the situation abroad.  However, critics seem to caution the
president not to let his silence speak for him.

For further reading on the U.S.
and Iran, check out Trita Parsi’s
Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel, and The United Statesand Nikki Keddie’s Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution.