Iranian Hostage Crisis
The politics of an era are shaped by the changes made throughout history leading up to that time. Policies and ideals reflect the era in which they were conceived, and world events put pressure on the political leaders to adjust their strategies. During the late seventies and early eighties, the Carter Administration was forced to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis. Their choices during the predicament illustrated American politics during that time period. The political issues of the time are presented in the secret negotiations to free the hostages, American nationalism during the negotiations, and the perception of the events from an Iranian perspective. First, in order to secure the safe release of the American hostages taken in Iran, President Jimmy Carter had to enter into an exchange of secret negotiations with Iran, with the help of Panama, Switzerland and Algeria. Carter’s Administration was dealing with a revolutionary government who had recently overthrown the former Shah, who had been accused of torture and tyrannical rule. The captors of the American hostages were students of the revolution who met at universities and decided to execute a plan to seize the American Embassy in Teheran, Iran. Their main goal was to coax the Americans into returning the Shah to Iran to be put on trial for his crimes, in return for the hostages. The Shah had been taken into the United States after his exile and he was cared for medically, a point along with other discretions that the students wanted the Americans to apologize for. Unable to secure the release of the hostages quickly, and unwilling to compromise fully, the Americans had to go through a series of secret negotiations.