the nuclear agreement cannot be viewed in isolation. Not only is Tehran’s proxy network a source of unrest in itself, it undermines any claim that Iran is interested in normal international relations. The added complication of Turkey abandoning traditional constraints points to the potential risks in the region if tensions cannot be better managed. This makes both a nuclear agreement and a show of good faith from Tehran important because the current situation in the Middle East is almost certain to lead to war. In that war there will be no winners. Washington will lose status, money, power and the lives of American soldiers, the Islamist leadership of Iran will lose their lives — and millions of innocent people caught in the middle will suffer and die needlessly
