Keylor Interviewed on US-Iran Relations
William Keylor, Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was recently interviewed on the state of relations between the United States and Iran under President Donald Trump.
Keylor was interviewed for an August 7, 2018 article by the Iranian Labour News Agency entitled “Trump Believes That Maintaining Pressure on Iran Would Force the Country to Negotiate; Keylor Tells ILNA.”
From the text of the article (Keylor’s responses are in italics):
ILNA: How do you assess the impact of August sanctions on the Iranian economy and its regional consequences?
The Iranian economy has been hit hard by the sanctions, and will adversely affect its ability to project its power in the region and has also given rise to protests within the country.
ILNA: In your opinion, what is the reason for the continuation of Trump’s readiness to negotiate with Iranian officials and at the same time maintaining the policy of pressure?
He appears to assume that by maintaining the pressure on Iran, that country would be more willing to negotiate. He did the same thing with North Korea.
ILNA: There seems to be a dispute between the US officials about the unconditional negotiation with Iran. What is the reason for this?
Some officials oppose any negotiations with Iran as long as it pursue policies opposed by the United States, such as its intervention in Syria and support for Assad, who many consider to be guilty of war crimes against his own people.
Keylor served four consecutive terms as Chairman of the Department of History at Boston University (1988-2000) and has been Director of the International History Institute since 1999. At Boston University, he has received the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Methodist Scholar-Teacher Award.