Iran's On The World Stage Again Because of Hostages
The Costs of Iran’s Political Pageantry
"While three decades later the hostage crisis is a blip in the history of the United States, Iran continues to pay for it in terms of a soiled international reputation, political and economic isolation, and vastly unfulfilled potential."
Just imagine if Iran had seized military personnel from the US instead of Great Britain. I don't think it would have ended so quickly or with a diplomatic solution.
I remember the Iran Hostage Crisis very well. I was a freshman in high school when the hostages were taken in November 1979. I particularly remember Ted Koppel's daily coverage of the crisis and the feeling of helplessness as more and more time passed. I thought a lot about the hostages and their families during holidays and family gatherings. I wondered how they all coped with the stress and separation.
"Before announcing the release of the sailors, Ahmadinejad felt compelled to lecture the West on gender sensitivity, asking why the UK would send Faye Turney, a mother, on such a compromising mission. 'Why don't they respect the values of families in the West?' he asked. 'Why is there no respect for motherhood, affection?'
His remarks come one month after a few dozen Iranian women were arrested and/or beaten while peacefully assembling against laws which, among other things, permit stoning women to death if they are convicted of adultery and deny women equal rights in divorce, custody and inheritance. I’m sure the double standard was lost on him."
This section of the post reminded me of the struggles described in Reading Lolita in Tehran for modern-thinking Iranian women dealing with daily life under the medieval constraints of the current Islamic regime.
"While three decades later the hostage crisis is a blip in the history of the United States, Iran continues to pay for it in terms of a soiled international reputation, political and economic isolation, and vastly unfulfilled potential."
Just imagine if Iran had seized military personnel from the US instead of Great Britain. I don't think it would have ended so quickly or with a diplomatic solution.
I remember the Iran Hostage Crisis very well. I was a freshman in high school when the hostages were taken in November 1979. I particularly remember Ted Koppel's daily coverage of the crisis and the feeling of helplessness as more and more time passed. I thought a lot about the hostages and their families during holidays and family gatherings. I wondered how they all coped with the stress and separation.
"Before announcing the release of the sailors, Ahmadinejad felt compelled to lecture the West on gender sensitivity, asking why the UK would send Faye Turney, a mother, on such a compromising mission. 'Why don't they respect the values of families in the West?' he asked. 'Why is there no respect for motherhood, affection?'
His remarks come one month after a few dozen Iranian women were arrested and/or beaten while peacefully assembling against laws which, among other things, permit stoning women to death if they are convicted of adultery and deny women equal rights in divorce, custody and inheritance. I’m sure the double standard was lost on him."
This section of the post reminded me of the struggles described in Reading Lolita in Tehran for modern-thinking Iranian women dealing with daily life under the medieval constraints of the current Islamic regime.