Iran was a problem state for America long before Ahmedinajad, and I suspect it will remain so long after he's gone. American and Iranian interests conflict in many areas, and our insistence that Ahmedinajad is the source of all our problems is childish wishful thinking.

Other countries don't have to be led by lunatics or monsters to disagree with us, and if we insist that only the evil and the crazy could possibly object to our activities, then international affairs will continue to be an unending chain of unpleasant surprises for us.

Iranian behavior should be understood by determining what they want, and what they think we want. Our behavior should be determined by what we want, and what we are willing to do to get it. Any other approach will either lead to provoking unnecessary conflicts or to dangerously postponing the necessary ones.

American and Iranian interests coincided marvelously during the Shah's time; unfortunately, he was unnacceptable to the Iranians, and our problems started from that point on. Iran wants to be a dominant regional power and to have some influence in world affairs. We want Iran as a counter to Arab and Sunni goals and as a force for stability in Central Asia.
Surely, we can come up with an arrangement that will be profitable to both of us.