This week in Tehran, American flags burned as Iranians swarmed the streets, chanting, “Death to America.” The protest, spearheaded by hardliners, created dissonance with the progress made from nuclear talks in Geneva, supported by Iran’s new president, Hassan Rouhani. While this may disturb many Americans, and rightly so, it is important to understand why they’re doing it.
Nelson Mandela once said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Since we live in an interconnected world, embracing other cultures and languages is key to becoming successful entrepreneurs and global citizens. To have a good foreign policy, understanding countries, even if they seemingly oppose the United States’ objectives, is essential.
Several years ago, Binghamton University had a program in Persian, the language of Afghanistan, Tajikistan and Iran, where it is called Farsi. After the key professor suddenly left to fill a post at another institution, the program died, and with it, the possibility to gain insight into one of the least understood regimes in the world: Iran. Bringing back a program in the Persian language and Iranian history would help to solve this problem.
Even so, understanding Iran poses problems even for scholars and experts. When analyzing a country’s motives, having a grasp on its history is a key element. As one of the world’s oldest societies, Iran has a history richer than that of most countries, spanning thousands of years. The events of the 20th century, however, molded Iran into what it is now: a repressive regime supporting terrorism.
It all began with the discovery of oil in Iran (then Persia) in 1908. Like a ravenous vulture over a rotting corpse, Britain swooped in to satisfy its craving for black gold. Eventually, Iranians grew tired of Britain stealing their oil and elected Mohammad Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize oil. In response, the United States and Britain staged a covert coup, Operation Ajax, to satisfy their lust for oil. They planted a brutal dictator, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who slaughtered all his opposition. In 1978, anti-shah sentiment was fomented, forcing Pahlavi to flee to the U.S. Frustrated by the United States’ unwillingness to hand over the shah, radical Islamists took over the U.S. Embassy, holding their diplomats hostage. This cowardly act lasted 444 days and completely severed relations between the nations, creating a mistrust that remains today.
Most likely, this mistrust will continue for years. To make positive inroads in diplomacy, the U.S. needs to have more diplomats who have studied Iran. Although BU offers programs in Chinese, Arabic and Russian, three critical needs languages, adding one in Farsi will further solidify its reputation as a “Public Ivy.” Since the number of Farsi programs are low and few diplomats can speak it, a program in Persian studies and Farsi will make BU stand out.
It will also help students looking to enter the foreign service, intelligence work or any sort of international relations work get a leg up on fellow students who may have only studied Arabic. Being fluent in Farsi, often thought of as an easier language to learn than Arabic, would make the chances of landing a good job much easier.
Adding a program in Persian studies would improve BU’s reputation, benefit those who are looking to land a job in the international relations field and increase the cultural awareness of the student body. Aren’t empathy and understanding the world the whole point of a liberal arts education, anyway?