DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/11244/329109

Welcome to the online repository of DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies. We are grateful to Commons@SHAREOK for hosting the journal’s digital platform.

DĀNESH is a peer-reviewed undergraduate journal, edited by a rotating team of OU students. It is published under the auspices of the University of Oklahoma’s Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies and the OU College of International Studies. Since its founding in 2016, DĀNESH has been dedicated to highlighting the research of a growing undergraduate program in Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

The name of the journal, DĀNESH, comes from the Persian word meaning knowledge, learning, and wisdom. We believe this is a fitting name for a journal that seeks to foster deep and compassionate understanding of one of the world’s most culturally rich and historically complex civilizations

Please feel free to browse through the past issues of the journal by clicking on the individual links below.

For questions about the journal, or to join our editorial team, please contact the journal’s faculty advisor, listed below:

Afshin Marashi

Director, Farzaneh Family Chair in Iranian Studies

amarashi@ou.edu

Farzaneh Family Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies:

http://www.ou.edu/content/cis/sponsored_programs/farzaneh-family-center.html

Browse

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Open Access
an-contradiction : the implications of the arms-for-hostages scandal for U.S.-Iranian relations
(2016) Haddock, Monica; Haddock, Monica; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The legacy of the Iran-Contra scandal in the United States is irrefutable. Not only did Iran-Contra tarnish the Reagan administration, traumatizing the federal bureaucracy with criminal indictments, but it also exposed “the chronic tension between America’s democratic domestic political system and its nondemocratic national security system.”1 However, its overall repercussions for Iran remain more opaque. This paper seeks to ameliorate this lopsided coverage. This paper will examine the implications of the Iran- Contra affair on U.S.-Iranian relations in response to the following inquiries: Was the ostensible U.S. goal to sustain Iranian moderates merely window dressing? Which factions actually benefited from American military largesse? Was the U.S. responsible for the later political ascendancy of the pragmatists? And how did the conduct of foreign policy proceed afterward?
Open Access
Celebrity on the Peacock Throne : Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi's superstar portrayal in U.S. popular culture, 1965-1978
(2016) Ennenga, Elizabeth; Ennenga, Elizabeth; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
Foreign policy is not a science; it is an art. The creation of policies, the opinions formed towards other countries, and the relationships between nations are all part of the delicate balance that leads to foreign relations between countries. Within the U.S., foreign policy and international relations are prevalent topics of discussion not only amongst policy specialists, but average citizens as well. Because of this fascination, there is a demand for media coverage on this topic. International issues, more specifically foreign affairs, are common topics covered by news organizations, namely magazines, like Time and Life.
Open Access
The Church Committee : unveiling the past and unraveling the future
(2016) Hackert, Lisa; Hackert, Lisa; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The Central Intelligence Agency has long been shrouded in mystery and public speculation. The agency is often cast as the perpetrator of heinous conspiracies perhaps conceived from the public’s imagination or the creativity of Hollywood. The tales of the organization’s involvement in assassinations, wiretapping, and eerie experiments portray the organization as rogue and powerful, acting without restraint. One particularly intriguing story details an attempt to undermine Fidel Castro’s public image by painting his shoes with a shoe polish designed to cause his trademark beard to fall out.1 This may seem like a ridiculous conspiracy theory; however, during the course of the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities (often referred to as the Church Committee) this story was found to be true. The validation of such a story created suspicions in Iran about what other CIA conspiracies, especially those surrounding the 1953 Coup against Mohammed Mossadegh, were also true.2
Open Access
Dānesh : the OU undergraduate journal of Iranian studies. Volume 1, 2016
(The University of Oklahoma, 2016) Marashi, Afshin; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
It is with great pleasure that I introduce this inaugural issue of DĀNESH: The OU Undergraduate Journal of Iranian Studies. The initiative for this journal grew from the hard work and dedication of undergraduate students in the University of Oklahoma’s Iranian Studies Program. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Andrew Akhlaghi (MA 2016) and Elena Gharipour (BA 2016) for their tireless effort in leading this project from its inception, in the spring of 2015, to the publication of this inaugural issue .
Open Access
Operation Eagle Claw : the ramifications of political divisions in U.S. decision-making during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-1981
(2016) Bowman, Mary; Bowman, Mary; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The taking of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in the fall of 1979 began a long, complicated 444 days of negotiations and frustrations in insuring the return home of the hostages. In early April 1980, President Jimmy Carter came to the decision that diplomatic negotiations were coming to a dead end, and the time had come to act. With this decision, Carter was faced with divisions among some of his key advisors, especially between his hawkish National Security Advisor, Zbiginiew Brzezinski, and his dovish Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance. However, the President made the final call to conduct a rescue mission to free the hostages. Unfortunately, the rescue mission, by the code name Operation Eagle Claw, came to a disastrous end in the Iranian desert. The decision to conduct Operation Eagle Claw led to the resignation of Cyrus Vance, Carter’s loss of the re-election, and the United States’ international credibility being destroyed.
Open Access
Painful desires : the creation of the Iran-Contra affair
(2016) Rosenberger, Heath; Rosenberger, Health; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The Iran-Contra affair was one of the most significant scandals in 20th century U.S. history. Although the name, Iran-Contra, appears to mainly involve the Islamic Republic and the Nicaraguan rebels, the affair heavily involved the U.S. and Israel. The U.S. provided arms to Iran through Israel and South Korea long before Hezbollah took U.S. citizens hostage.1 Through Israel, the U.S. illegally sold weapons to Iran in the 1980s in order to free U.S. citizens held hostage in Lebanon by Hezbollah. Before the affair even began, all three countries were involved in spawning the event. Israeli and U.S. presence in Lebanon birthed Hezbollah.2
Open Access
Unintended consequences : the impact of sanctions on the Iranian pharmaceutical industry
(2016) Vernon, Elizabeth; Vernon, Elizabeth; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The United States first imposed sanctions on Iran after a breakdown in diplomatic relations following the end of the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Many have debated whether these sanctions have had an actual effect on the Iranian government. While the United States originally imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, it later collaborated with the European Union and United Nations to put multilateral sanctions on Iran with better success. But while the U.S. has been targeting the Iranian government, these sanctions have also had an impact on the Iranian citizens. While sanctions have been intended to pressure the government to stop or reduce enrichment of uranium, they have also had an impact on the population, particularly in the medical arena. Although the US allows for some exceptions to the sanctions in order to provide Iran with the necessary products for the pharmaceutical and medical industries, sanctions still have a direct impact on patients. As shown by trends in the pharmaceutical industry and by the failed Vienna Agreement in 2009, intended to discuss a fuel swap for the Tehran Research Reactor, the required treatment for about 850,000 patients went unmet.1
Open Access
Unlikely compromise : a history of the Iran-United States Claim Tribunal, 1981-2015
(2016) Weigant, Patrick; Weigant, Patrick; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The Iran-United States Claims Tribunal was one of the twentieth century’s most important tribunals of international arbitration.1 Furthermore, it stood apart from the likes of the arbitral tribunals following the peace settlements of WWII, in that the parties involved were two hostile states without diplomatic ties.2 To illustrate the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal’s influential place in international law and politics this paper will be broken up into three major sections. First, will be a recount and explanation of how and why the Claims Tribunal came into existence. Second, the internal structuring and the jurisdiction of the Claims Tribunal will be described and explained. Finally, this paper will provide a summary of the Claims Tribunal’s history of operations, with case studies to display how the Tribunal operates and comes to different decisions. By doing so, this paper will show how even two countries that seemingly hate each other can still come to compromising agreements in dire circumstances.
Open Access
Who lost Iran? : a critical reassessment of U.S. foreign policy towards Iran, 1953-1979
(2016) Eckenrode, Nicholas; Eckenrode, Nicholas; Akhlaghi, Andrew; Gharipour, Elena T.; Bednarek, Ellie; Gellman, Jonah; McCann, Samuel; Siddiqui, Wajeeha; Yoo, Jiyoun; Farzaneh Center for Iranian and Persian Gulf Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies; University of Oklahoma. College of International Studies. Department of International and Area Studies
The air was crisp as President Jimmy Carter entered the building. Uncharacteristically cold, even by Iran’s standards. It was New Year’s Eve 1977 and Carter was making his first trip to Iran to continue the long standing relationship between the two countries. Raising his glass, Carter toasted the Shah claiming him to be the one leader in the world he felt to have the most “personal friendship.”1 Carter had been in office just under a year. This was barely enough time for a President to build a relationship strong enough with any leader, let alone one man that took precedence over all others. In reality, Carter had inherited a relationship with the Shah that had begun decades prior—a relationship built on lofty promises, weapons sales, and oil production. The two were dependent on each other.