KHANA hosted the 18th session of its KHANA Dialogue series, bringing together international experts Lucy Wu, Harald Buschmann, Jeff Schubert, and Michael Hilliard to discuss Iran’s post-war economic reconstruction and lessons from China’s reconstruction experience.
Harald Buschmann: U.S. Is Not a Reliable Negotiating Partner
Harald Buchmann, Senior Fellow at Intellisia Institute, noted that despite several rounds of Iran–US negotiations, talks have repeatedly broken down followed by military escalation — a pattern he said raises questions about the reliability of US commitments.
He observed that many in China have been surprised by Iran’s resilience in the face of attacks and the strength of its response. In his assessment, de-escalation is unlikely unless the economic costs of conflict for the US increase, pointing to Israel and its allies within the US as key factors shaping the current dynamic.
