The Deal with Iran

Nationalism is a term that Fareed Zakaria, in his best-selling novel The Post-American World, says perplexes Americans. He describes it as a country's "assertion of identity" (Zakaria, pg. 36). The recent assertions of identity in non-western countries challenge the long-established order of American and Western dominance. Countries such as Russia, Japan, and China all want to establish themselves as powers not completely subject to the United States' every whim. Zakaria discusses how multiple powers across the globe could create hindrances and obstacles to resolving international issues or achieving such objectives (Zakaria, p. 37).  To solve any issue/crisis that affects the globe, there should be a standard for which all countries can come together and work for the common good, while maintaining their own identities and not being placed on the backburner of the United States. Manfred B. Steger, in his book Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, highlights how many countries have already formed interdependencies, and are actually consumers of globalization. The term he uses is hybridization, or “the mixing of different cultural forms and styles facilitated by global economic and cultural exchanges” (Steger, p. 5). I believe that despite the rising nationalism of countries that Zakaria describes, the effects of globalization have already taken deep root, and that no country would benefit from shutting out other countries. Nations across the globe should be open to setting aside any new or existing prejudices, in order, to tackle worldwide problems (i.e. global warming), which Zakaria identifies in his novel.
Iran announced Israel as its arch nemesis after the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the American-supported monarchy and replaced it with a theocracy with anti-western tendencies. Religion can always breed conflict, and the Islamic state of Israel detests the Jewish state known as Israel. The animosity between Iran and Israel has long been a source of worry for the United States government. Iran and it’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, do not recognize Israel, and have shown to be unhesitant in rallying Anti-Israeli sentiment and calling to arms Iran’s military forces in talks of So much worry that some politicians worried that Iran would attack Israel with nuclear weapons.  If you haven’t heard, the U.S. and other western leaders are working tirelessly with the Iranian government to strike a deal, a nuclear deal.  The deal concerns the nuclear program and research in Iran. The New York Times created an excellent guide (cheat sheet) to understanding the deal and all its intentions, for all of us lay people. Read the entire piece here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/03/31/world/middleeast/simple-guide-nuclear-talks-iran-us.html?_r=0

Basically, the deal requires Iran to limit its use of resources that could create nuclear weapons of mass destruction (uranium, plutonium, all that science-y stuff), in exchange for removal of international sanctions on oil and finances. Israel practically begged the United States to include in the nuclear deal some sort of stipulation requiring Tehran to finally recognize Israel as a state. The requests were denied, as President Obama saw it as transforming the deal into something it was not. Read more about what the president had to say about the issue here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/06/obama-iran-nuclear-deal_n_7013424.html

I really don’t have any idea how this whole Iran nuclear deal will pan out, but I can confidently say you won’t have any trouble finding coverage on the matter.

         In Iran, there is still what I would consider startling gender inequality. Women lack many rights and are subject to strict dress codes and laws that they must abide by, or be subject to arrest. Islamic law states that women must always be dressed in a hijab, which Muslim women wear to display privacy and modesty.

                                                 Traditional Hijab (https://www.inayahcollection.com/images/BROWN_KNITTED_HIJAB_NEW.jpg)

 Multiple women’s rights campaigns have moved to battle the stark gender inequality in Iran and make strides in a better direction. Many of the women who begin these movements do so through the use of blogging. Social media applications like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so blogging on alternative sites gives Muslim women the opportunity to voice their opinions and call others to action.

Iran continues to fascinate me with all of its cultural complexities. Stay tuned for more posts!