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Iran

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Our President Just Built a Wall…and We’re All Going to Pay for It

This spring, my Istanbul-based tour guides planned an educational tour to Iran and extended an open invitation to our tour guides and staff. A half-dozen people in my office — eager to learn more about an often-misunderstood land — signed up and booked their plane tickets to Tehran. But now, in response to the USA denying entry to Iranians, Iran has (quite reasonably) decided to keep out Americans. Of course, a few cancelled vacations are just the beginning: Many, many people around the world are already suffering far greater hardships because of this weekend’s events.

As someone who loves how effectively travel can foster international understanding and peace, it’s clear to me that, by overreacting to a trumped-up fear of outsiders, our new president’s actions will actually make us less safe.

I traveled to Iran a few years ago to produce a documentary for public television. I was struck by the wonderful, kind-hearted, open-minded people that I met there. Getting to know the Iranians was the highlight of my trip. And I believe that the show we produced did more to contribute to peace than anything I’ve ever done.

It’s clear to me that thoughtful travel can be a force for peace — and, yes, national security. When we travel to troubled lands and get to know people who are supposed to be our enemies, we humanize them. By meeting each other face to face, we make it tougher for forces in their land to demonize us with their propaganda, and tougher for our government to demonize them with ours.

I’ve seen a lot of walls in my travels. They are monuments to failure, and they’re never good. Whether separating East Berlin from West Berlin, Protestants from Catholics in Northern Ireland, or Israelis from Palestinians in the Holy Land, walls are an instrument of misunderstanding and hate. I know this because in each case, I’ve actually met the people on both sides of those walls, heard their perspectives firsthand, and gained both understanding and empathy.

On Friday, President Trump built his first wall — made not of concrete and barbed wire, but of a dangerous and half-baked executive order. And now, Americans who want peace and who love the world will be the ones paying the price.

I don’t care whether you voted for Trump, or whether you identify as a Republican or a Democrat. We can respectfully agree to disagree on most issues. But if you’re a traveler who has a curiosity about this world, banning people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the USA is bad news. You want to talk about safety? For the last eight years, we’ve remained extremely safe from external terrorist violence…without ever closing our borders to an entire faith or nationality.

Meanwhile, I can imagine no more successful recruitment tool for ISIS than Trump’s new ban. Just like new subscriptions to The Nation magazine are booming and the ACLU is getting more donations in three days than they normally do in an entire year, the appeal and allure of ISIS is also spiking.

Right now, I’m trying to figure out how I can make a difference in this fight. I’ll share more thoughts soon. In the meantime, I invite you to meet a few Iranians, through my public television special. As you see these faces, keep in mind: These are the people our president has decided are too dangerous to meet in person — the people who our president risks radicalizing at the same time he risks radicalizing our own country.

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Talking Up Iran in Oklahoma City

In 2009, public television stations across the country aired a one-hour special I produced about Iran. My goal: to offer a candid and humanizing look at a powerful country that most Americans know little about. Since I knew next to nothing about Iran before filming this special, I knew this project would be as much a learning experience for me as it was for my viewers.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed giving my talk about Iran all across the USA — and especially in famously conservative corners of our country. Earlier this year, I gave my Iran talk in Oklahoma City to a wonderful crowd for the public television station there. I was really happy with the talk, and thought I’d share it here.

The time and energy we invested in Rick Steves’ Iran reached a huge audience, and I think it was totally worthwhile. In the spirit of that project, this year we’re producing a special called Rick Steves’ Holy Land: Israelis and Palestinians Today. It will air early September 2014.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Idea Butterflies: Random Thoughts from My Notes

When I travel I collect ideas like butterflies as they flutter by. I jot them down, never knowing if they will find a place in something yet to be composed. Here are some random, thought-provoking “idea butterflies” I caught but didn’t know what to do with. I’m not saying they are right, so all you hair-trigger partisans should hold your fire for this one. These are just some ideas I found interesting and wanted to share:

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I was told that 400 years of Ottoman control — followed by European colonialism — destroyed the social fabric of the Middle East. In other words, much of the frustration we have with the lack of progress in the Middle East is due to centuries of occupation, colonization, corruption, and dictatorship brought on by the Ottomans and the West.

When I consider the many extreme political ideologies that I believe undermine peace — from fringe groups in the USA to fundamentalist organizations that inherit power for lack of any good competition in places like Egypt and Iran — I find that many have a foundation in religious passion. When you travel, you understand how fundamentalism (whether your religion’s or someone else’s) can lead to fear and violence.

I was once told that a “massacre” is when at least five people are killed by force without fighting back or without an opportunity to fight back. It occurred to me that this is arbitrary…but then I wondered, what makes a “massacre?”

Someone explained the rise of Islamists throughout the region this way: Autocrats and dictators have long kept the left-wing opposition in their countries weak by giving conservative religious groups room to grow and organize politically. Suddenly, with the Arab Spring, the dictators are gone, but there’s nothing organized on the left. So the right-wing religious groups (as we see in Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and Gaza) grab power over the less-organized, secular left. Also, in many troubled places like these, locals wanting freedom have a choice: the USA-supported faction or the religious right. The effect is just the opposite of what the neocons who brought us the Iraq War predicted: a “domino effect” yes…but of right-wing fundamentalist Muslim “democracies” almost inheriting power by default.

Islamists — from Cairo to Kabul — are smart. They build outside of politics. Over time, they infiltrate society by providing people what governments should (e.g. decent schools and a social safety net). Today, there are more veils on the street than ever. Even girls from modern secular families feel the pressure at school, and many come home requesting that their parents get them scarves. They just want to fit in.

A person in a poor and ramshackle city told me, “I remember my first time in USA. I saw old people bagging groceries. We have only a little money, but our old people will never be treated that way.”

You meet far fewer tourists in the West Bank than elsewhere, but those you do meet are really interesting.

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In Memory of a Dear Friend: Rick Steves’ Iran DVD for $5 donation

One of the most challenging, enjoyable, and rewarding projects of my career was producing Rick Steves’ Iran for public television a few years ago. This project wouldn’t have been possible (or anywhere near as successful and effective) without the passion and partnership of Abdi Sami. Through the filming process, Abdi (our lead man, guide, and co-producer) endeared himself to all on our crew.
Last month we lost our dear friend and colleague to cancer. He lived his death with the same love, positive spirit, and grace that he lived his too-short life.
In memory of this talented man who courageously promoted the cause of peace between Iran and the USA, I’d like to make the DVD of the hour-long show available to my blog friends for only $5 (plus shipping). I’ll donate 100% of the proceeds to the Seattle Chapter of the United Nations Association, a non-profit close to Abdi’s heart. With each DVD, I’ll also toss in a copy of my 48-page Iran Journal — a colorfully illustrated, behind-the-scenes account of our filming experience in Iran. (The special is also available to stream for free online at Hulu.com)

Please spread the word. You and your friends can each buy up to two DVD/journal sets and help an important cause, through this link only (not via my website), until 5:00 p.m. PT., Wednesday, July 25th.

Regular shipping fees apply. Please allow two weeks for delivery via US Post.

If the shopping cart is slow, just check back later.

Thanks to all of you. And thanks to Abdi, whose life and work continue to inspire us.

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Ron Paul Watches Rick Steves?

Much to my delight, today on Ron Paul’s own blog he featured me and my Iran program. When the special was first released, I worked pretty hard to bring it to the attention of DC politicians, thinking investing an hour to get a primer on Iranian society would be time well spent—especially considering how little decision-makers in our country actually know about Iran. But until now, no one responded.

Though I don’t support all that he stands for, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me—given his take on militarism, trade policy, and our war on drugs—that our program would resonate with Ron Paul. On his blog today, he wrote, “There’s a quote attributed to Mark Twain that goes like this: ‘Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.’ In this lecture Rick Steves proves that he is more than a travel writer. He has had the courage to vindicate Twain’s statement. He has very much proven himself to be a true patriot and gentleman.”

Thanks Dr. Paul. I can see why you have such an enthusiastic following.