Public Diplomacy in Action

President Obama issues a special message to the Iranian people on the occasion of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. Be sure to watch to the end in which President Obama issues a send off in farsi. From the White House.

This line, “The measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create,” sticks out. Obama seems to be signaling to the Iranian people that he understands that the Iranian nuclear program is a point of national pride. In turn, Obama seems to be showing the rest of us that curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions is going to require more than just pressure on the elites.