Friday, July 3, 2009

Iran Air Flight 655

The terrorist attacks of twenty-one years ago today probably won't be much recalled in the American press. The anniversaries of other large scale attacks are commemorated with somber front-page reflections on the savagery of the aggressors and the quest of the victims' families for justice. But the attack of twenty-one years ago, which left two hundred and ninety innocent civilians dead merits no such mention. The attack isn't worth recalling not because of its scale or significance, which is consistent with other major attacks, but because the victims and perpetrators are of the wrong nationality, the attack is inconsistent with the prevailing ideological framework. The personal tragedy of the victims deserves acknowledgment, so to does the reaction to it in the west and what this says about our political culture.

On June 3, 1988 Iran Air Flight 655 departed from Bandar Abbas, Iran for the 28 minute flight over the Straight of Hormuz to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with 290 people from six nations including 66 children on board. As it took off Flight 655 approached an American missile cruiser, the USS Vincennes, engaged, in Iranian waters, with several Iranian vessels. The American ship fired a heat seeking missile at the airliner, sending it crashing into the sea. For days afterward Iranian vessels pulled hundreds of corpses from the water. There were no survivors. Reacting to the crisis then U.S Vice President George Bush declared "I will never apologize for the United States — I don't care what the facts are." That has remained the consistent position of the American government which has refused to even accept responsibility, insisting that a financial settlement with Iran was merely the result of American benevolence. Indeed, when the ship returned to the U.S its Captain was awarded the Legion of Merit "for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service as commanding officer" and its crew were also decorated for their heroism.

It does not take much imagination to see how different the reaction in the U.S would have been if the situation were reversed. If it was an Iranian warship in American waters that shot down an American civilian airliner, if the Iranian government refused to accept responsibility and saluted the courage of the commander of the vessel, if the Iranian Vice-President declared he
This elementary thought experiment underscore the hypocrisy of not only the American government, but also of the intellectual establishment, as they berate others for violent actions which disrupt their interests.