A panel discussing the need for increased diplomacy between Iran and the United States will be hosted tonight by the UCLA Coalition for Peace.
Speakers include Stephen Kinzer, an author and former New York Times contributor, and Brigadier General John Johns, retired from the office of the Army Chief of Staff.
Titled “The Folly of Attacking Iran,” the discussion will focus on the possibility of an American attack on Iran and how a greater degree of U.S. diplomacy could prevent such attacks, said Combiz Abdolrahimi, a fourth-year political science student and organizer of the event.
Tonight’s event is the second of a national tour sponsored by Just Foreign Policy, a nonprofit dedicated to changing U.S. foreign relations to rely less on U.S. military power.
The tour will travel to 22 cities in less than a month, concluding in Washington, D.C., where organizers will present Congress with petitions calling for diplomacy with Iran, said Patrick McElwee, co-coordinator of Just Foreign Policy.
Abdolrahimi said he believes Kinzer and Johns uniquely represent a civilian and a military perspective and will give students the facts about the history of U.S.-Iran relations, as both men may be “privy to a lot of information that (students) are not.”
Organizers said the event is targeted toward those who are unfamiliar with U.S.-Iran relations.
“I do think a lot of people would like to learn more about Iran and the situation there,” Kinzer said.
He added that he will explain what has been happening in Iran in past decades and why past U.S. mistakes should be a guide for future foreign policy.
“(The event) offers people a chance to learn about Iran and hear perspectives of Iran that are different from what is issued from Washington,” Kinzer said.
Kinzer said he gained an interest in Iran after traveling extensively through the country while stationed in Istanbul, Turkey, for The New York Times.
Kinzer said that during his travels, he noticed how “militant and isolated from the rest of world” Iran had become, leading him write a book on the reasons behind this.
Los Angeles was made the starting point of the tour because it represents one corner of the country and has a large Iranian-American population, McElwee said. Two major universities, UCLA and Occidental College, were chosen as the first stops because students are enthusiastic and willing to get involved, he said.
“We certainly want to reach students, as they have the time and energy to be active on these issues,” McElwee said.
Kinzer said he was eager to speak at UCLA, not only because it is a center of learning, but because of its high level of activism. He said he hopes students will want to become involved in preventing another war, especially since they have spent formative years watching the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq unfold.
Abdolrahimi said that while he hopes to encourage action among students, the most important part of the event is to attract student attention to U.S.-Iran foreign relations.
“You can’t change everyone’s opinion, but you can put these events on with the hopes that one or two students’ interests will be kindled and they will want to learn more. That is what we should strive for,” he said.