While The University of Alabama’s attention has been consumed by allegations of voter fraud in the recent Tuscaloosa Board of Education elections and the historical integration of The University of Alabama’s sorority system – both serious issues that deserve their fair share of discussion and action, no doubt – some have managed to remain somewhat oblivious to one of the biggest debates of the year.
Once again, the United States of America has found itself in a sticky situation and is even contemplating war with Syria after its incessant use of chemical weapons against rebels, civilians, women and even children. The issue remains, however, that the more military action the United States pushes in the Middle East, the higher anti-western sentiments can grow. The more we push our global policeman power, the more likely we are to see some retaliation, especially from Syrian allies like Iran.
Granted, the threat of war now has diminished thanks to the Russian-authored (and John Kerry accidentally proposed) peace display within which the Syrian government would turn over all of its chemical weapons – the true “red line” and ultimatum that President Barack Obama set – in return for a hands-off approach from the United States. All the same, though, the threat of military action still looms in the Middle East, and in the past few days, some behind-the-scenes diplomatic action in that respect has made headlines.
On Tuesday, for the first time in years, the President of the United States was presented with the opportunity to meet with Hassah Rouhani, the president of Iran, and turn systemic animosity into a diplomatic opportunity.
Both men entered the U.N. building Tuesday, and behind closed doors it is unclear if they will meet, even for a handshake, or continue to deepen the trough between the two countries by remaining supercilious.
No doubt, both countries hold onto considerable rationale as to their hostility towards each other – with demands being thrown back and forth, military action being pushed from either side, coups and hostage crises remaining prominent in our joint histories and seemingly opposite sets of allies backing the both up – and unfortunately it seems as though this all might be too much to overcome.
And yet, for the good of the United States, and for the good of Iran for that matter, the simplest handshake could be the difference between war and peace in 10, 20 or even 50 years.
Political grudges are nasty little things; they just don’t go away.
It’s been more than 20 years since the Berlin Wall fell, and still, many treat Russia the same as they did the Soviet Union. It’s even been 60 years since the 1953 Iranian Coup, and yet, that CIA effort to overthrow Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh still haunts the United States, a catalyst – along with a long, sordid history of global policing – for the anti-western movement in the Middle East.
While we don’t think about these actions regularly, they remain in our collective subconscious pushing and pulling popular opinion. The events pass from time and memory, until only the grudges remain.
Yet, what presents itself at this very moment is an opportunity for both countries to step up and attempt to show a little respect, if not a little peace. What presents itself now is an opportunity to mollify a bit of our past transgressions, and while a handshake won’t fix years of considerable international political damage, it can be a start.
And I’ll tell you what, I’d take a handshake over a war any day.
Maxton Thoman is a sophomore majoring in biology. His column runs weekly on Wednesdays.
