Why Still Go to Iran?

I received a tempting invitation this afternoon, to join one of the peace delegations being organized to Iran. I’d go in a heartbeat, although I might check that by my professors expecting me to be in class certain times of the year. And it takes some work to do the fundraising, this also is true. Still, Iran has been a destination important to me these past few years, since Bush labeled it part of the Axis of Evil. (And let us not forget North Korea; but I’ve only seen a trip to the South. And my Persian is better than my Korean, but I digress).



I have been thinking of the amount of time it took for us to build up to a war with Iraq; after we took relatively little time to build up to a war in Afghanistan. Would our nation dare try to invade yet another country, Iran or North Korea? Is there enough time left in Bush’s term for him to take such a step? Would he try?



I want to say Bush couldn't pull it off anymore, but I also don’t want to get too comfortable. And sometimes I wonder if the current scandals in the Republican party are taking up the energy they would have put towards sending us into another war. And then sometimes even yet I wonder those scandals and the party’s weaknesses are all that are holding us back from more war.



What though, is our duty in preventing another war, which perhaps may never come? I wonder if we are not a tired peace movement that needs more excitement in order to find its adrenaline of three and four years ago. (Lord knows I could use a little adrenaline, a little outrage, to fuel my own writing these days…)



I do believe that even in this interim, in the uncertainty, that our work is in building bridges, making connections, revealing the human face of the ‘Other’ to those closer to home and more familiar to us: our neighbors, churches, and schools. There are so few of us with first-hand experience of these countries; it is too easy for us to dismiss these anonymous millions. The peace movement can get busy learning languages, buying plane tickets, making friends, taking pictures, giving presentations, and writing articles. And all the meanwhile pounding down the doors of our lawmakers.



I saw a t-shirt in the Northern Sun catalog (northernsun.com) this past week: “I’m already against the next war.” Indeed, wherever it may be and whenever it may come.