The Center for Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies hosted an event called “The United States and Iran: From Manufactured Crisis to the Brink of War” on February 6, 2020. The event completely dedicated to talking about the United States and Iran relations.
The event was moderated by CSUSB Professor David Yaghoubian of the History Department, and the special speaker who came out to speak was Dr. Gareth Porter.
Dr. Porter is an independent investigative journalist and historian. For the past two decades, he has focused on the United States’ national security state during, and after, the cold war. He is an author of four books – his recent one being Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War which was published in this month of February.
Professor Yaghoubian began by explaining that ever since May 2018, when Trump pulled out the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the tension between the United States and Iran has reached new heights. Dr. Porter shortly took over and answered the big question, “Why has the United States made Iran their enemy for the past four decades?”
This is a topic that not many people are aware of or care about. “I think that it is very important that students should learn about the real implications that are not really discussed because it is not always black and white,” says Ernesto Pantojo. Ernesto is currently a CSUSB student who has always had an interest in learning about the Middle East and who currently is part of the National Security Club on campus.
“People should educate themselves on a topic like this because of the big danger that the people from the U.S could stumble across. It could possibly be the biggest and worst war that the U.S would come across since World War II. It could be worse more damaging, and many people could die,” said Dr. Porter.
“Iran has the ability to hit American bases across the region with great accuracy. They now also have the ability to hit all American military targets,” said Porter. This is not a topic that should be taken lightly and, as Porter says, this is why this has to be a high priority to American citizens, as well as political parties to do something about it.
Professor Yaghoubian said that students should care about these issues because this could greatly affect our economy, the lives of other human beings, and our military. “Real people will die. Our fellow citizens, human beings halfway around the world. Iranians, maybe, we don’t know them, but we should at least care if violence and death happen based on lies,” said Yaghoubian.
