Here's something new: Iranian propaganda, paid for by the Islamic Republic, delivered in Tehran, and published in the United States under the auspices of a university press. Not surprisingly, the contributions by Iranians all reflect the title of the "International Conference on Aggression and Defence" at which they were delivered. Slightly more surprisingly, the Americans at the meeting acted as though they too were employees of the Iranian government - or was it just the giddiness of finding themselves in Iran? Whatever the reason, their comments look a bit foolish when read between the covers of a book.
Here Hamid Algar of UCLA salutes the Islamic Republic of Iran for its "proud record of resistance to aggression" and there James Bill of William and Mary College pays homage to its "tenacious and courageous performance." Richard Bulliet of Columbia no doubt delighted his hosts by telling them that the Khomeini government threatened the West "not so much because of its own characteristics but because of European intolerance for any fundamentally different ideology." Is Tehran now the new favorite destination for political pilgrims?
As if sycophancy weren't bad enough, The Iraq-Iran War's way out of date - the Tehran conference took place in the summer of 1988. To make matters yet worse, the papers did not get revised in the light of the momentous events that followed.
