THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume IX, Issue # 73, April 25, 2007
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
WHEN A REPORTER IS JUST A REPORTER:
A Report on Mark Bowden's Briefing & Address to the
Middle East Forum on His Book, Guests of the Ayatollah
By Patrick Barron
AMERICA'S FIRST CLASH WITH MILITANT ISLAM: THE IRANIAN ISLAMISTS' SEIZURE OF THE U.S. EMBASSY IN
TEHRAN IN 1979 -- THE POLITICAL FORCES THAT ACTED UPON THE CARTER PRESIDENCY TO CAUSE IT TO FEEL THAT
THERE REALLY WAS NOTHING THE U.S.A. COULD DO ABOUT THE SITUATION -- COULD & SHOULD THE U.S. GOVERNMENT
HAVE PUNISHED THE IRANIANS MILITARILY? DID THE CARTER ADMINISTRATION PLAY INTO THE IRANIANS'
HANDS BY PLACING THE WELFARE OF THE HOSTAGES ABOVE ALL OTHER AMERICAN NATIONAL INTERESTS? IN
THIS REGARD, WHAT LESSON SHOULD WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THE MANY ISRAELI EXPERIENCES?
FULL STORY:
Mark Bowden, author of the popular book and movie Black Hawk Down and the highly acclaimed Killing
Pablo, spoke to members and guests of the Middle East Forum recently about his new book, Guests of the
Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam.
Speaking at the law offices of Pepper Hamilton in Center City, Bowden gave a highly interesting and entertaining talk
about the cultural differences that led up to America's first clash with radical Islam -- the Iranian seizure of our Embassy
in Tehran in 1979 -- and the experiences of the hostages and their captors.
Bowden has interviewed personally many of the hostages and some of the Iranian hostage takers, plus many American
officials from that time. I enjoyed his talk immensely, but I was struck by how easy it was to spot when he moved from
reporting, where he is a master craftsman, and into analysis and opinion, where he is less adept.
I have not read either of these books, but I am certain that the reader would find Guests to be a fairly factual
account of what happened. This is the mark of a good journalist.
Bowden told us amazing stories from his many interviews, such as a thumbnail sketch of the failed American rescue
mission. He also explained the political forces that acted upon the Carter administration and caused it to feel that there
really was nothing that could be done. Most important of these political forces were the fear that escalating the crisis
might bring in the Soviets and start World War III, and the fact that our military really had no capability to rescue the
hostages, who were being held in the middle of a huge city hundreds of miles from our nearest bases and fleet.
But, during his talk, one could easily discern when Bowden veered from reporting to inserting his own judgment and
analysis. He was excellent at telling us what DID happen and less astute when he told us WHY it happened and even
less so when he told us what SHOULD have happened.
For instance, Bowden told us that the Carter administration handled the situation rather well by refusing to escalate the
crisis militarily. Well, that is a value judgment that others may debate. As one attendee stated in the Q&A period, the
U.S.A. could have punished the Iranians militarily rather easily and that we played into the Iranians' hands by placing
the welfare of the hostages above all other national interests.
This is a lesson that we should have learned from the many Israeli experiences. In the ensuing decades, Iran has been
responsible for mayhem worldwide, from funding and arming Hezbollah in Lebanon to the recent capture of the British
sailors and marines. It is certainly arguable that an overwhelming military response in 1979 to an attack upon our
Embassy, which, under international law, was an attack upon American territory, might have prevented these warlike
actions and even caused the Iranian people to discard the reign of the radical mullahs.
This is all speculation, of course, but the point is that Bowden was merely speculating, too. He is not an expert in
international affairs and admits to being completely ignorant of America's military capability, telling a humorous
anecdote that he had to admit, in a talk to Army officers, that he didn't know what a Bradley Fighting Vehicle was. This
admission early in his talk indicated to me that Bowden was just a reporter, a good reporter, but just a reporter
nevertheless.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The Middle East & the Problem of Iran
American Foreign Policy -- The Middle East
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
International Politics & World Disorder:
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Patrick Barron is a writer and banking consultant who resides in Pennsburg Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.
He can be reached at the following email address: PatrickBarron@msn.com
Mark Bowden graduated from Loyola College of Maryland, where he currently is Adjunct Professor of English and
teaches Creative Writing and Journalism. He is a national correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly, was staff
writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer for more than twenty years, and has contributed to other major American
periodicals, including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, and Rolling
Stone. Among the books Bowden has authored -- several of which have been turned into films -- are Black Hawk
Down: A Story of Modern War (1999) and Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (2001).
On April 19, 2007, Bowden addressed the Middle East Forum on his most recent book, Guests of the Ayatollah: The
First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam (New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2006).
The foregoing article by Patrick Barron was originally published in The Bulletin, April 19, 2007, and can be found
on the Internet website maintained by the Middle East Forum.
Republished with Permission of the Middle East Forum
Reprinted from the Middle East Forum News
mefnews@meforum.org (MEF NEWS)
April 19, 2007
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