11/29/2007

Parsi and Persepolis in Berkeley

I went to listen to Dr. Trita Parsi present his new book, Treacherous Alliance, The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the U.S. Parsi is President of National Iranian American Council, and Adjunct Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. Parsi's book discusses the different eras of relations amongst Iran, Israel, and United States. His most important point is that though the relations have been defined by each country's ideology during certain periods of time in recent history, currently it is one of strategy and not ideology. He discussed each country's motivations in behaving the way they do, and why having skipped diplomacy and starting at the present hot-headed critical stage of dialogue is costing every country so much and how this is threatening world peace. As I have said before, the best part of going to a lecture is when questions are asked and answered. Parsi is an excellent orator and his speech was flawless, and he particularly answered his questions well. I bought his book and when I have read it, I might talk about it.
Later, we went to a sneak preview of Marjane Satrapi's animated film, Persepolis. I had read her books before, but seeing the movie was a remarkable experience. In the movie, Satrapi talks about her childhood and her memories of Iranian Revolution, Iran-Iraq War, and growing up in Iran. Many sequences were funny, some of them were dramatic, but the majority of them were sad for me. I cried several times during the movie. I remember FarNice had said that she had cried during the movie and I had wondered at the time how an animation could make one cry. I found out how tonight. I recommend this movie when it opens in the US in late December through mid-January. Of course, the best part of tonight was seeing my friends, old and new, and feeling like a part of the large Iranian community in Berkeley.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Has Persepolis been translated to English?

Anonymous said...

Hi My Dear Nazy,
wow! see! so it wasn't just me who was so sad during the movie. i thought,maybe it is worst for me because of vienna-thing-story but it seems that it is so touchable for everybody,but anyway i loved the movie.
it's a good question, in which language have u seen the film ? mine was french with german subtitle! what a combination, hm ?
i've heard Sean Penn talks as her father in english version .
and besides, Thank u Nazy joonam for your comment. i will write as soon as i find a way in my mind, cuz averything is mixed up there right now ;)
cheers.

Chakameh Azimpour said...

Nazy joon. Thanks for the story. I know this Trita Parsi since about 2years ago, and I am in their mailing list, but I used to think it is SHE. When you refered to him as he, I was just smiling. Felt kind of weird. Because I had visited their site extensively and it was never a photo of him, nor a biography. It was great to learn it :-)

After50 said...

نازی گرامی دین فیلم ساتراپی ما خبر خوشی بود
چون من امکان دیدن ندارم میخواهم از شما خواهش کنم که
از طرف من هم ببینید
اگر شد
از طرف من هم گریه کنید

سپاسگذارم
+50

Anonymous said...

Nazy jan
Thank you thousands time to informed me and let me came with you, it was awesome , I thought that watch my own life story, I laughed and cried and sympathized many times. I going to write a post about that, thanks again
bayram

Mersedeh said...

Hi Nazy,
Good timing on my end for dropping in on your blog! It looks like you had an excellent night.
Trita is wonderful indeed. I met him in 2002, when I was hired by NIAC as a summer intern. I moved to Washington DC for the summer and worked on starting up the SBA 8(a) project for them. I think the more you get to know these guys the more you respect them both for their intelligence but also for the incredible passion that drives them at their age; NIAC's success is proof of that I guess. Anyways, I am totally jealous that you got to see Persepolis too...I can't wait to see it! Of course by the time it comes out here in the US, I'll be in Europe, so I'll miss the opening here too! ugh...oh well...I'll have to be patient.

Take good care. Sorry for my long "comment".

Ghorbanet,
Mersedeh

Nazy said...

Dear Aref-Adib:

I am completely overwhelmed with joy to find you here! What an honor! Persepolis is in French with English subtitles. It wasn't too bad for some reason. A delightful movie. Come back again soon.

Nazy said...

Salam FarNice Jan:

What can I say? You were right about Persepolis! I have been thinking about you a lot recently. I wished you would start writing again. Whenever I'm really confused and lost, I write. Writing usually helps me organize my thoughts. Anyhow, whatever you do, you should remember that there are people who really like reading you! Be good azizam.

Nazy said...

Salam Chakameh Jan:

That was hilarious about thinking that Trita was a woman! I wonder what that name means. Anyhow, he is a smart young man. He said true democracy for Iran will come from Iranians inside Iran, not those living in Washington! I agree. Have a good weekend doostam.

Nazy said...

Salam After 50 Jan:

You are so funny! I did cry some, but I suppose not enough for two! I hope you get to see it soon. I wonder though if the copy quality may not be good enough to read the subtitles, unless you know French which will make things easier. Thanks for coming my friend.

Nazy said...

Mersedeh Joonam:

I miss you so much! Your corner looks so lonely without you in my home. Thank you for the insight about Trita Parsi. I didn't realize you had worked with him. A most articulate young man he is. I hope all your projects are pulling together, enabling you to get ready for your trip. I am so excited for you. I'll send you an email tomorrow. Have a good weekend azizam.

Nazy said...

Bayram Jan:

I should thank you for accompanying me. It is always a pleasure seeing you and going places with you. I can't wait to read your post about the movie.

مسعود said...

سلام.تریتا ،نام ایرانیست؟احتمالا ایشان دو رگه باشند.به همین دلیل دوستمان چکامه مدتها فکر میکرده ایشان مونث باشند.منظورتان از اینکه ایران و اسراییل سیاست هایشان علی القاعده بر اساس ایدئولوژی تعریف می شود اما بعد گفته اید ،این استراتژیست ، چیست؟

Nazy said...

Salam Massoud Jan:

I was talking about Dr. Parsi's opinion which states though Islamic Republic of Iran is a religious state, and as such follows an ideology different from that of Israel's, which is also a religious state with its own ideology, these days their struggles are not about those ideologies.

He believes that these days Iran is exercising its strategy of attempting to be the "superpower" of the region, and Israel is exercising its strategy of trying to stay safe and unthreatened in the region. In other words he was saying that this is not about a Jewish/Moslem conflict of ideologies, but about survival and power. He was also critical of Israel for acting on strategies which are at least ten years old and is not reacting properly to realities of the Region. I hope I have explained it properly. Be good.

Chakameh Azimpour said...

Nazy joon. Yes indeed. I really enjoyed Trita's point of view and am supporting their organization too. I guess the fact that I learned French and German way before English has something to do with thinking Trista is a feminine name. In roman-based languages usually A at the end of the name is for feminine and O for masculin. It probably was my first thought and then I didn't really think about it. As I said before, every day one learn a new thing. Thanks for that.

مسعود said...

سلام نازی خانم.از پاسختان تشکر می کنم.روشن بود.ولی فکر می کنم این استراتژی اصلاح طلبان باشد،که ایران را توسعه یافته و قدرتمند و مدرن می خواهند،تا اصولگرایان،که اقتدار مذهبی و مظاهر مدرنیزم را می خواهند.متشکرم.