Can Western Women Tame Iran’s Nuclear Negotiators?
Three high-powered women are the principal negotiators for the P5+1 team in the Iran nuclear talks, which creates a novel working environment for their Iranian counterparts, because women generally can’t get top government jobs in the Islamic Republic. This raises an intriguing question: Could the presence of women across the table from the Iranians change the dynamics in the nuclear talks?
Photos of the high-stakes Iran nuclear talks held in Istanbul earlier this month tell their own story.
In them, the top two negotiators — European Union foreign policy chief Cathy Ashton and Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili — stand smiling in front of a mural depicting Istanbul’s bridge over the Bosporous, wearing what almost looks like yin/yang versions of each other’s outfits.
