In recent weeks, Barack Obama's foreign policy has been derided by critics who say he has almost nothing to show for his first 10 months in office. But on one of his most important priorities--stopping Iran's relentless march towards a nuclear weapon--he may be quietly reaping a critical diplomatic turnaround: Russia may finally be getting serious about Iran's nuclear program.
That would be great news for Obama. In recent weeks Iran has shown little sign of cutting a good-faith deal with the West to freeze its nuclear program. It increasingly looks like the only way to stop Tehran's nuclear ambitions--short of military action with potentially disastrous consequences--will be through harsh sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council. Of the council's five permanent members, America, France and Germany are all ready to proceed. China may be the toughest nut to crack; but that won't matter if Obama can't first bring Russia aboard. (China may also be more reluctant to water down U.N. sanctions without Russia's vote to give it cover.)
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