Published on January 28, 2020
On Tuesday, January 28, Dr. Stefan Kamola spoke about recent events in Iran and Iraq surrounding the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani and the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752.
After reviewing a timeline of events starting with rocket attacks against US positions in Iraq on December 27 and ending with anti-regime protests in Iran on January 12, Dr. Kamola walked backwards through five historical horizons to provide context for understanding these events and their potential significance. These five contexts were: a) recent political protest and instability in Iran and Iraq; b) a half-century of tension between the US and Iran; c) how Iran became a Shi`i state 500 years ago; d) the characteristics of Shi`ism that help shed light on recent events; and e) how theocracy has been part of the western tradition for 1700 years.
Stay tuned for more Flash History lectures with other history faculty as we identify headline news that can benefit from a bit of perspective.
