July 7, 2006

Terra Incognita

It's odd, thinking about the prospect of preemptive war against Iran. What, after all, do people generally know about Iran? How many could find Teheran on a map? Can you? What Deborah Campbell discovers—having lived and traveled for six months in Iran within the past year—makes it clear that we've got a manufactured crisis. You may not agree with her, but hers is a valid window into a foreign culture we really should understand better. I whole-heartedly endorse, btw, her brand of authentic, personally-centered narrative journalism, which is a far superior substitute for the thin gruel that the mainstream media usually dishes out. It was very kind of Deborah to talk with me, both about Iran and, more briefly, the Israel/Palestine situation; the latter another area where she'd lived for an extended time and, indeed, written about in her book This Heated Place. It was a real pleasure to talk with her and I'll gladly welcome her back to EP anytime. This podcast runs an hour and eight minutes. Enjoy!