Islamabad talks failed, but Washington won

Islamabad talks failed. No agreement. No framework.  But the US got everything it wanted. It got off-ramp. It now can sell all the oil it wants at a higher rate. It has China under pressure. It can sell security equipment to the Arab nations.  It can save its face.

Iran is devastated, though not destroyed. Now other nations can fight the war with Iran while the US can sit back and relax.

The European allies will be under pressure. Russia is happy. India can refine all the oil it wants. The US can now focus on Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

If I were a consultant with President Donald Trump, I could not have asked for a better outcome. In fact, it seems to me that the US did not want the talks with Iran to succeed. A stalled peace process (and war) is the best outcome for the US.

More from Opinion

In my opinion, one must look beneath the surface of things here. The US did not really lose the war, although it may have gotten a kick in the pants. Which will be good for the US because it will no longer be complacent and ill-prepared.

Iran lost the war even if it may swagger now that it did not get destroyed. Israel can take a break and prepare for another day with a better security architecture.

The only thing is that Israel was unable to destroy the nuclear capability that Iran is building. But that may be accomplished in other ways. Supporting internal disunity, lopping off Iran’s nuclear scientists, subverting their inner security structure, and continued engagement with Iran via the US should be pursued. The danger has not been eliminated.

For all the loss in prestige, the US got everything it could have wanted out of this war. More profits, a more vulnerable China, a more dependent middle east, a practice session, a weaker Iran.

My only suggestion is that the US, like India, should bring down the price of oil internally by subsidising it. This is not about capitalism. This is about winning elections, and this subsidy can be spun by President Trump as his great largess.

Everyone else wins here. India comes out ahead since the world depends on her refining ability. Russia can sell more oil without restrictions. Except for Pakistan: it has been shown as a lackey of the US who will do anything and everything to keep the US happy with its fawning.

The failure of Islamabad talks is a success. This was planned right from the initiation of peace by Pakistan and the subsequent leak that the US gave them even the ‘X’ feeds. Pakistan’s credibility was destroyed even before the talks in a most cynical manner. The US could never have agreed on the ten terms that Iran was insisting on.

Can something better happen? Yes, a denuclearised and a peaceful Iran. But that would be too much to expect. Until then, I would call the failure of the Islamabad talks a success. For it gives everyone time to settle down and breathe.

My only hope is that someone like Prime Minister Narendra Modi will step in and bring about a true reconciliation. Until then, my cynical self is satisfied.

The US has won both tactically and strategically with these talks. The Donald should write about this as the real art of the deal someday.

(Pariksith Singh is author, poet, philosopher and medical practitioner based in Florida. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.)