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would obliterate the record of adroit diplomacy of the last four years.
Obama understands very well -- even if many members of Congress do
not -- that even our worst adversaries have interests of their own, that
those interests feel as legitimate to them as ours do to us, and that we at
least have a chance of settling disputes with them if we can find the place
where our interests overlap. The time has come for him to apply that
wisdom to Iran.

James Traub is a fellow of the Center on International Cooperation.

Article 3.

The National

An uneasy courtship as Iran and Egypt test
the waters
Alan Philps

Feb 8, 2013 -- There is a consensus among commentators that the visit of
the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Egypt - complete with
red carpet and kiss on both cheeks from President Mohammed Morsi -
does not amount to a breakthrough. The view of US think-tanks is that it
does not amount to very much at all, and certainly not worth getting
anxious about. Such a consensus is always dangerous, and it is worth
looking more closely at what it is based on.

Mr Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian leader to set foot in Cairo since the
deposed Shah of Iran was given refuge in Cairo, where he died and
received a state funeral. The two countries have not had diplomatic
relations since 1979.

The Iranian president's visit has deep historical significance, even if he
came as a guest of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit.
The picture of the two presidents embracing says to the world: Egypt is

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