In diplomacy, the framework within which governments think can determine the course of events as much as any negotiations. Consider the seven-nation Istanbul meeting Jan. 21-22 to discuss Iran's nuclear program. Baroness Catherine Ashton, the high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, led what she called the EU3 (Britain, France, Germany) + 3 (China, Russia, United States) group in talks with Iran. China, however, consistently called the group the P5 + 1, which means the five permanent members of the United Nations plus Germany. From Beijing's perspective, a UN framework gives China a veto over the collective action of the group, and prevents any "unilateral" action against Iran by other states, particularly the U.S. or individual members of the EU that Washington could persuade to follow it. The main objective of China and Russia is to prevent any direct action that could threaten the Tehran regime. This belies the...(Read Full Post)