On May 8th, 2018, Donald Trump dropped the Iran Nuclear Deal, a deal meant to stop Iran from
achieving nuclear weapon capabilities. This was done by taking sanctions off of Iran in return for their
enriched uranium, which is used to create nuclear weapons. Dropping this deal has led to international
outcry from the likes of France, Germany, and Britain. These countries have not only vocally opposed
Trump’s decision, but have also stated that they will attempt to stay with and salvage the deal. In the
words of French diplomat Mr Le Drian, “We feel that the extraterritoriality of their sanction measures
are unacceptable. The Europeans should not have to pay for the withdrawal from an agreement by
the United States, to which they had themselves contributed.”
achieving nuclear weapon capabilities. This was done by taking sanctions off of Iran in return for their
enriched uranium, which is used to create nuclear weapons. Dropping this deal has led to international
outcry from the likes of France, Germany, and Britain. These countries have not only vocally opposed
Trump’s decision, but have also stated that they will attempt to stay with and salvage the deal. In the
words of French diplomat Mr Le Drian, “We feel that the extraterritoriality of their sanction measures
are unacceptable. The Europeans should not have to pay for the withdrawal from an agreement by
the United States, to which they had themselves contributed.”
Dropping out of this deal will affect many companies from both US and European companies. Multiple
French firms have signed billion dollar agreements with Iran since the Iran deal was signed back in
2015. This includes airbus, which signed a deal to give 100 planes to Iran. This also includes
companies like oil giant Total and car companies Renault and Peugeot. On the other hand in the US,
US individuals and entities are barred from doing business with multiple Iranian individuals and
companies. This was done with more US sanctions coming.
French firms have signed billion dollar agreements with Iran since the Iran deal was signed back in
2015. This includes airbus, which signed a deal to give 100 planes to Iran. This also includes
companies like oil giant Total and car companies Renault and Peugeot. On the other hand in the US,
US individuals and entities are barred from doing business with multiple Iranian individuals and
companies. This was done with more US sanctions coming.
Discussion Questions:
- Should Trump have dropped out of the Iran Deal?
- Do you think that France, Germany, and Britain made the correct move in opposing the US?
- Should France, Germany, and Britain take on the Economic burden that the US was holding in the Iran deal?
- How do you think companies will respond to this compromise to their deals?
I don't think Trump should have dropped out of the Iran Deal because less countries with nuclear weapons means a safer world, and dropping the deal could send all the wrong signals to other countries, US allies or not. In this case, opposing the US exit is a good move and it is the only way to maintain peace and keep pressure on Iran especially since the US was in a position to enact more sanctions. I don't think France, Germany and Britain deserve to nor should they take on the economic burden of the US exit and should seek other ways to do this or perhaps in some way punish US companies. Nonetheless, I think companies will exploit any advantages they may get or get angry over any disadvantage they now have due to the US exit, so this may spark huge issues and fights between many companies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin on all his points, but another problem with dropping out of the Iran Deal is the confusion about how the US is dealing with nuclear weapons. Recently, North Korea just announced to halt its nuclear program, which Trump helped negotiate. To other countries, it is very difficult to pinpoint Trump's exact decision on nuclear weapons in other countries. It seems to be something regarding business deals, which may influence some countries in their policy with the US.
DeleteIdeally, Trump should never have dropped out of the Iran Deal, and if the Trump administration was any more effective and cautious, this current uproar would not be happening. There are two consequences of dropping out, the first being sanctions on many companies, but even worse, the fact that Iran, whom has always wanted to increase their nuclear stockpile, now has the capability to. Of course, on media Iran declares that their mindset excludes proliferation of nuclear weapons, but Iran most likely will continue to increase their nuclear arsenal due to the resources they have handy. As the article said, once the Iran Deal was dropped, sanctions on enriched uranium was dropped also, and enriched uranium is key to the creation of nuclear weapons. Obviously, France, Germany, and Britain made the correct move in opposing the US, for even though their move was more economical, it did shine light on the fact that Iran now poses a likely threat to global stability and peace. Simultaneously, this was not a likeable move, for the schism between US and European nations have widened once again, putting the US, China, and Russia on the same side. This will harm the US in the future, for when the US tries to make deals and negotiations with European nations, the US will be seen as considerably less credible.
ReplyDeleteAs large European powers, it would be worth it for France, Germany, and Britain to take on the economic burden that the US had faced, in order to keep the Iran Deal running. The German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier even stated that the nations attempted to “minimize the negative consequences” resulting from the US’s withdrawal. Furthermore, having France, Germany, and Britain involved in the deal would help support the economic independence of those three nations, without any more interference from the US. I also believe that changing the trade policies with Iran to reflect Europe’s economic and political views would greatly benefit Europe as a whole. Along with that, as in whether opposing the US from withdrawing from the Iran Deal was rationale for the three European nations to do, I agree with Madison’s argument that it was, since they were only doing it to maintain international safety. Meanwhile, European companies with plans based off the Iran Deal--such as French Law Firms, oil company Total, and airplane manufacturer Airbus--would be benefited economically short-term, but could cause harm in the future in terms of agreements. Most of this would be the result of US sanctions, which would greatly stagnate progress, such as the delivery of 100 Airbus jets to Iran. Based on this, my take on this is that companies will most likely respond very aggressively, attempting to fulfill people’s promises before the sanctions are imposed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin, Madison, Brian, and Victor in that Trump should definitely not have withdrawn from the Iran Deal. This act, along with the withdrawal from the Paris Agreements, has terribly impacted America's credibility in the international stage. As Victor said, the lack of credibility in America might have negatively impacted the peace Trump was hoping to broker between North and South Korea, and it may have helped breed the distrust that recently caused the North to cancel peace negotiations with the South (1). Yes, the European countries made the correct move in opposing the United States because it showed that they were countries in their own right, not reliant on the United States to broker every deal and be the primary supporter of every agreement. Perhaps they shouldn't take on the entire economic burden from the United States' withdrawal though. Despite Germany's strong economy, Britain's is soon to take a hit from the upcoming Brexit and France is having some unemployment problems (2). Perhaps finding a separate power to join the deal, one willing to take on such a task to undercut America's credibility in the wake of its withdrawal, would be beneficial to the overall health of the deal (much like China's investment into Green Energy taking over the renewable energy market after Paris). The companies affected by this withdrawal might conduct layoffs or find revenue in less savory practices. Either way, it cannot be good, seeing as after the announcement of this decision, despite its quick recovery following, the stock market still crashed.
ReplyDelete(1) https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-reportedly-cancels-high-level-talks-south-n874396
(2) http://www.bbc.com/news/business-36152571
I agree with Janet in that withdrawing from the Iran Deal was a massive mistake which will have grave repercussions. Leaving the deal was opposed by, as the article states, most of the world, as well as the majority of the president's staff and cabinet. But the repercussions will neither be confined to Iran nor the economy. Pulling out of this deal send a message to North Korea that any deal made with the US, especially with this president, is a pointless endeavor, as either this or the following administration will nullify the agreement. This is an especially dangerous message to send to North Korea right now, just before the President is scheduled to meet with Kim Jong Un to discuss a deal on the very same thing the Iranians agreed to, nuclear weapons. The president is endangering that deal, and with it, the entire world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the students above about how Trump should of not dropped out of the Iran Deal. If the Trump Administration was a little more careful and precise about their job, this would of never happened. Now because of Trump dropped out of the Iran Deal, Iran has the freedom to produce a massive amount of nuclear weapons if they want. This creates more friction between countries because it does not ensure safety for countries because they worry that they are the first target. I believe France, Germany, and Britain made the correct move in opposing the US, for even though their move was more economical, it benefited the world by ensuring more safety for all. If one of opposed the US in the withdraw, the world could of have been in a horrible state. However, did does separate US with the European countries as the tensions rise because the decision was opposing the U.S. This will only hurt the U.S. in the future because Europe is one of the closest allies that the U.S has with the world.Finally, I believe companies will most likely respond very aggressively, as the U.S could of possibly ruined their business by agreeing to the agreement.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Germany, France and Britain should have to take the economic burdens of carrying out this deal without the US, but I feel now they need to. I believe that it is everyone's responsibility to stop the production of nuclear weapons since they are so destructive and since Trump did not feel we needed to stop it, the other countries in this deal need to pick up the deal after the US backing out. Trump should not have backed out of the deal. By doing that, he has increased the risk in the US because the US has problems in the middle east and enabling Iran to have nuclear weapons can turn sour for the US.
ReplyDeleteTrump shouldn't have dropped the Iran deal because it would mean that Iran is able to create nuclear weapons when the whole idea was to stop them.Trump has risked the protection of many area around the world and the people by withdrawing the Iran deal, once they use those weapons they will be think what they should've done to prevent this and let Iran take all the blame. I think France, Germany, and Britain made the correct for opposing the U.S. because they have a better understanding of what should be done to stop Iran. France, Germany and Britain should take on a Economic burden that the US was holding in the Iran deal so they can stop and keep an eye on Iran from making nuclear weapons. It should keep them from continuing their projects to build nuclear weapons.
ReplyDeleteIt’s somewhat ironic that Trump is trying to negotiate peacefully with North Korea, a country that has recently tested missiles and openly threatened its neighbors. Iran, on the other hand, has signed a nuclear deal with several nations and has complied with the requests on their side of the deal, yet Trump has withdrawn from the deal. The US should not be able to unilaterally make decisions of this scale without regarding what the international community believes is right. This is especially true when the decision at hand is related to nuclear weapons, as a wrong decision may compromise the safety of millions. Other countries such as France, Germany, and Britain should step in and try to salvage the nuclear deal if they are willing to do so.
ReplyDeleteTrump made a huge mistake in dropping out of the Iran Deal. Nuclear warfare should not be an option for anyone, and in dropping out, Trump is sending countries all over the world the opposite message. France, Germany, and Britain made the right move in opposing the US. Other countries must advocate for what's right, and hopefully the US will follow suit and realize that we must take a step in the right direction towards a nuclear weapon free world. It's unfortunate that France, Germany, and Britain must take on the US's economic burden in the deal, as they didn't sign up for that and it's unfair. However, this is necessary if we want to salvage the deal and maintain our hopes.
ReplyDeleteThe Iran Nuclear Deal was a project that the Obama administration spent many years negotiating with Iran along with other countries to form. I think the fact that it was agreed on by everyone it wasn't wise for Trump to just back out. Not only does backing out hurt the USA but it also affects all the other countries that also signed the agreement. Not to mention the deal removed the international sanctions that the USA implemented on Iran, and now that they have backed out, adding those sanctions back to Iran will hurt them and also the USA.
ReplyDeleteTrump should not have dropped the Iran Nuclear Deal, because doing so will affect numerous countries and companies. European countries are doing the right thing by opposing the U.S., because they are the ones that have to suffer the most for Trump's decision. They should not have to pay for a bad decision made by the U.S. Trump thinks very hastily, and this was not a decision to be made with haste.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think President Trump should have dropped the deal because it was such an essential deal to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of the Iranians. Fearing for what they could do with these nuclear weapons to the countries around them. I do think France, Germany, and Britain made the right choice opposing President Trump’s move, due to what I mentioned earlier. I think France, Germany, and Britain should take on their own economic burdens because it is almost like stocks, it’s their money that they are putting into this and this was a possibility.
ReplyDelete