John Katz,Editor The American Dossier
We have seen much in the headlines this week on the reality of what seems in being a hair trigger away from war with Iran. Namely with the circulating news stories about the Iranian downing of an un-manned American drone and the strike on a Japanese oil tanker. With the convenience of technology and internet we are able to get updates in nanoseconds from all the multiple news outlets and political internet pundits.
The champing at the bit has become quite dangerous as it is sometimes hard to decipher fact from fiction. We have seemed to have forgotten that this week’s saber rattling from Iran is nothing new and an element of real political interference from a foreign entity just as we saw in dealing with Iran in 1980.
There has been much criticism on President Trump’s last-minute decision to stand down from striking Iran. When it comes to the potential detriment with modern nuclear weapons regardless of political party it is always best when cooler heads prevail. This is not a sign of weakness but rather an opportunity for all parties to come to the table and have dialog. Iran has a history of portraying themselves as the victim when it comes to being on the world’s stage. The political tensions are in many ways similar in what occurred in 1980 with the 444-day hostage standoff, the longest hostage crisis in recorded history.
Life in 1980 was without the technological wonders of the internet and smart phones. We relied on 3 tv networks ABC, NBC and CBS for our news and entertainment. It was in many ways a simpler time but not so much politically when it came to deal with the middle east and Iran. Iran meddled in American politics with President Jimmy Carter in many of the ways they are doing now with President Trump in regard to sanctions. Iran is a rogue nation that does not wish to be held accountable for its actions even with disregard to the humanitarian treatment of its own citizens. This perhaps a story for another time.
Many political pundits and analysts alike still consider the standoff as a major factor in the downfall of Carter's presidency which led to his landslide loss in the 1980 presidential election. The hostages were releasedthe day after the signing of the Algiers Accords, just minutes after American President Ronald Reagan was sworn into office.
It ultimately strengthened the prestige of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the political power of theocrats who opposed any normalization of relations with the West even to this day. This crisis led to the beginning of American economic sanctions against Iran as we know it.
So here we are in 2019, in many ways we are at what seems to be an impasse with Iran as we were in 1980. However, many thought we were certainly headed for war with North Korea in 2018. In the same light that Ronald Reagan went down in history as the “Great Communicator”, perhaps President Trump will go down as the “Great Negotiator”.
Nothing is lost in the art of negotiation when time is used wisely, without focusing on how much time it will take to get resolve. Perhaps it is the art of a deal in the skill-set of a businessman unlike that of a politician to face adversity with optimism and hope for a positive outcome, but at the same time making it known that all options are on the table.