War of Iraq information tour comes to Columbia

By Michael Sewall

Published Feb. 15, 2008

The war in Iraq has been cited as one of the most important issues for young voters in this election and, with the growing threat of war elsewhere, two men have set out to present an alternative view on Iran.

Stephen Kinzer, an award-winning author and former New York Times correspondent, and Trita Parsi, National Iranian American Council president, embarked on a 22-state tour that began Feb. 7 in Los Angeles and will end March 6 in Washington, D.C. Today, they stop in Columbia to address citizens and students about their message of warning against U.S. military intervention in Iran.

Mid-Missouri Peaceworks spokeswoman Lily Tinker-Fortel said this event is a rare chance for students to hear internationally recognized speakers, and students could become more informed about the issues that could affect them in the future.

“We are the people that will deal with the policy decisions our government makes on our behalf,” Fortel said.

Nate Kennedy, College Democrats of Missouri president, said the Iraq war is one of the main issues of interest among students, along with education and health care. Kennedy said it is important for students to learn about the world around them.

“After this hasty invasion of Iraq I don’t think Americans understood the depth of what we were taking on here,” he said. “Educating ourselves on countries that we’re in conflict with is the best way to avoid conflicts and resolve problems.”

Both speakers are calling for unconditional talks with the Iranian government, particularly in light of the recent National Intelligence Estimate that found that Iran abandoned its nuclear weapons program in 2003.Kinzer was a New York Times correspondent for 20 years.

Kinzer stated in a news release that U.S. involvement in Iran might not produce the best results.

“Historically, when America engages in regime change, it’s often for the wrong reasons or under false pretenses,” he said in the release. “In most cases, these operations end up having terrible results, not only for the target country but also for the United States itself.”

Kinzer said the emergence of a militant religious regime in Iran is in part the result of the American-sponsored overthrow of Iran’s elected government in 1953.

“It’s vital that we not make the same mistake again,” he said.

Following President George Bush’s discussion of Iran in his State of the Union address on Jan. 28, Kinzer said an attack on Iran could seriously damage America’s position in the Middle East.

“It would create intense anti-American feeling in the only Muslim country in that area whose people are now pro-American,” Kinzer said. “It would give Iran’s nuclear scientists a passionate incentive to collaborate with America’s enemies, and it would set back the country’s progress toward democracy for another generation. American leaders are able to imagine a relationship with Iran that is based on the two countries’ mutual interests rather than on anger and fear.”