"We Don't Speak to Evil": The Dynamics of US-Iranian Mistrust

The current uncertainties about Iran’s motives and intentions reflect the interplay of the psychological and material dimensions of the security dilemma in international politics. In this article NicholasWheeler shows howthe ideological fundamentalismthat animates the Bush White House and its fellow travellers has led the administration to replace the uncertainties about Tehran’s nuclear intentions with the certainty that Iran has aggressivemotives and intent. The problem with ideological fundamentalism is that it closes down the possibility that others might be acting out of fear and mistrust rather than malevolence, and crucially, it disregards the role that one’s own actionsmight play in provoking that fear.