I just saw “Argo” last night. Not only is it a great film (who would have thunk that Ben Affleck had it in him?) but it’s also a great primer on a period of American history that, for those under 40 today, is as ancient as the Civil War.
The movie tells the story of how CIA “exfiltration” specialist Tony Mendez managed to smuggle six American diplomats out of Tehran in 1980 by pretending they were part of a production crew scouting locations for a science-fiction film called “Argo.” As this Slate article notes, the film takes a few liberties with the history—but only a few. It conveys what would seem to be, on the whole, an accurate picture of the period—from the bureaucratic politics of Washington to the violent and chaotic nature of the Iranian revolution. Above all it captures, as no other film I have seen does, the sad spectacle of the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
I was only nine years old when the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was seized on November 4, 1979, but I can still remember the dispiriting drama of how Iranian extremists were able to hold 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. That experience was all the more traumatic for the nation because newscasts (some of them played in “Argo”) routinely noted that this was “day 33” (or whatever) of “America held hostage.” Meanwhile yellow ribbons proliferated around the nation to keep alive the memory of the hostages. America’s humiliation was worsened when a belated rescue mission ended in a fiery crash in the Iranian desert, at a rendezvous point codenamed Desert One.
“Argo” is a thriller but it accurately evokes this crisis—one that, I now realize, helped shape my worldview. Growing up at a time when America was widely thought to be on the decline, I, like many other young people, was attracted to Ronald Reagan and his message of hope and renewal—the idea that America’s best days were still ahead of us. Reagan rescued us from the post-Vietnam malaise and restored our economic and military strength, as even his onetime critics now admit.
The lesson I take away from this history is that there is nothing inevitable about American decline and that if we permit ourselves to become weak, the results will be catastrophic. That is a point worth thinking about today as, once again, a consensus seems to be building among the chattering classes that America is in decline. The only thing that has changed is the country that is supposed to usurp our position in the world. Now it’s China. Back then it was the USSR, followed by Japan. “Argo” is a sobering reminder of the cost of a declinist mindset—and a reminder too of how even a ponderous institution like the U.S. government can pull off amazing feats if talented individuals are unleashed to be daring and creative, something that, alas, only seems to happen in a crisis.
I was 30, and it changed me from a liberal Democrat to a conservative Republican. The takeover was an act of war, and should have been treated as such. nThat Carter's Secretary of State, Cy Vance, resigned in opposition to the rescue attempt says all one needs to know about the naivete of that administration. Carter's post-Presidential career as an international gadfly, inserting himself into matters of state, where he has no business, only reinforces the point. nAnd his failure and the failure of succeeding administrations to confront unseat the Iranian regime — spare us, please, the chimera of trying to find moderates there that we can talk to — now brings us to this precarious moment. Either work to re-energize the Green Revolution, or kill the regime outright. They are implacable and will continue to wage war on us by whatever asymmetric means they can contrive.
Excellent comment. "act of war, and should have been treated as such". That is certain. "the failure of succeeding administrations to confront unseat the Iranian regime". True, true. True also of the Reagan administration. That is one of many reasons that I did not become a Republican. Nor have I stayed as a Democrat (certainly not one for Obama and company). Had either Carter or Reagan acted as they should have, we wouldn't have the mess of the Middle East with Iran that we have. Will Romney turn this mess around? I seriously doubt it. But he cannot do worse than all the previous incompetents.
Thanks for your endorsement. I'm a Republican for two very simple reasons: Although they haven't always acted like it, they do recognize that there are limits to what government can do competently, and Democrats have demonstrated over and over again since the Vietnam War that they are not to be taken seriously in matters of national defense.People point to Obama's drone campaign against Al Qaeda as though it's proof of seriousness, or a coherent strategy. It is not. Defense is something Democrats do after they've larded up the budget with more bread and circuses. And that's not to say there haven't been occasional Democratic successes — the Balkans; Obama — but those don't begin to make up for the damage they've done with their over-the-top partisanship in international affairs when Republicans are in power. We are extremely fortunate as a nation to have a military with the dedication, professionalism, and effectiveness of ours, but their civilian masters should be their equals or more in the stewardship of our defense, and in this I think the Democrats fail miserably, when they hold the executive branch and when they oppose it.
Nobody wants to recall that six years later in Iran-Contra, the same Reagan administration cooperated with Iran (to sell them anti-tank TOWS) and even sent McFarland with a friendship frosted cake. The negative ad-hoc elements of Iran-Contra found their way into Rumsfeld's concept of a (very) small-footprint expeditionary anti-regime force. The originating concept of Ollie's Army was expanded to army doctrine where it nestles today.
Very good. Too many plaudits for Reagan as the 'liberator' from the tentacles of the USSR. Pure BULL. He was an idiot. For one thing, we have the Son-of-USSR, Russia – no better. Nancy Reagan would have been a better president. At least she recognized that Reagan visiting an SS cemetery (courtesy of the his Nazi associate Pat Buchanan) was a serious mistake.
Only a few years later Hezbollah blew up 241 Marines in Lebanon and sent Reagan running for home. All we've done for the last 30 years is show our enemies we're weak and feckless. This is why there was never any significant antiwar movement against Iraq – our enemies don't need one. All they need do is poke our politicians in the chest and they fall over. And this is the key; any conflict we fight as a conventional big battle conflict, we win hands down. Any conflict we chose to fight as a political war, we lose every time.
Bravo.
Each war is eventually becomes a political war. It is imperative to cut loses, reorganize, sat up new objective, figure out how to rule concurred territory or sphere of influence. I view is optimistic on a base of Churchill once saying: “We always can expect America to do the right think but after they would try everything else.” Do we try everything else in the Middle East?
"Argo" may well be another October surprise because of the relevance to current events, to a very big audience of all ages.
"…newscasts (some of them played in “Argo”) routinely noted that this was “day 33” (or whatever) of “America held hostage.”" n nawww…I can tell you were only 9–that's so cute! (I was 23.) n na little context for you: actually, what it was, was Nightline. only it wasn't called "Nightline" at first. it was just a news special on at 1130pm, Mon-Fri. Ted Koppel would come on and intone "Day [whatever], America Held Hostage." and that program actually BECAME Nightline.