Embassy News & Events

America through Iranian Eyes

The reflections below were provided by Somi Abedinzadeh, an Iranian student in the UK who visited the United States in September/October 2006 as part of a U.S. Embassy-sponsored exchange visitor program.

As one of the first young Iranian students to have participated on the International Visitor Leadership Program after Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979, I was privileged to enjoy a 3 week trip to the United States along with several fellow Iranian students. The trip was aimed at raising our understanding of the United States and the American people and this objective was indeed greatly realised through a uniquely well organised itinerary. We visited a rich variety of places and people who gave us great understanding and insight to the country and its people. Meeting with various officials and representatives of governmental organizations was the most effective way of learning about another country's decision making processes.

From the people in the administration to the every day people, open and welcoming, everyone was happy to teach us something about America, while enthusiastic to learn about our country. No matter which part of the world one is born, or lives in, America is a country whose influence one cannot fail to sense. One, therefore, may not overlook learning about the country and her level of contribution to, and the part that it plays in, the International Community. Aware of the major role that they play in the human society, not only the American administration, but also the American people endeavour to present their country to the International Visitors.

One of the most amazing things about the degree of participation that the Americans are willing to carry out, is to see that a large part of the International Visitors program is organised by volunteers, some of whom even come from very small towns in the countryside. These are people that you might have thought would have the least knowledge and information about international matters. Nevertheless, whether very well or little informed about the ongoing affairs in other countries the American people are open to exchange of ideas and prepared to converse with an open mind and broad view. The culture of volunteerism is much appreciated among the Americans and volunteers are happy to work closely with the government and NGOs rather than working for them. This was what impressed me most about America and inspired me to undertake research on the culture of volunteerism and the motives that drive people to play an active role in their country. I would then be interested to learn how this can be applied to my home country of Iran.

About the Author

Ms. Somayeh "Somi" Abedinzadeh was one of five young Iranians studying or living in the United Kingdom to participate in a U.S. exchange visitor program in September/October 2006. This was the first U.S. International Visitor program for a group of Iranians in over twenty years, and marked the re-opening of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to Iranian participants as part of U.S. Government efforts to increase understanding between the peoples of the United States and Iran. The IVLP is the flagship professional exchange program of the U.S. Department of State. Somi and her fellow participants spent three weeks in the United States deepening their understanding of the U.S. system of government, the U.S. foreign policy process, the role of non-governmental organizations, volunteerism and grassroots activism in the United States as well as American society and culture during visits to Washington D.C., New York, Chicago and the small town of Sterling, Illinois and Memphis, Tennessee.

Somi left Iran in September 2005 to continue her studies in the UK. She completed her Master's Degree in Politics at the University of Dundee in Scotland. She is currently a PhD candidate in political theory at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Somi is doing research on how Nietzsche's account of power can explain the struggle between quanta of power and she is using the relationship between Iran and the United States as a case study in this regard. Somi also hopes to soon publish her first novel "A Statue of the Sky," which tells the story of an Iranian woman who leaves the oppression of her home country on a journey of discovery about herself and the experiences of a diverse group of other Iranian women. Somi has hopes of eventually working for the United Nations and returning to Iran to become a politician.

(06 February 2007)

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