When the new academic year convenes days from now, students attending American colleges will learn that there is a crisis in the Middle East caused by a radical departure from traditional U.S.-Iran relations instigated, of course, by President Donald Trump.

 

At the University of Michigan, Juan Cole may tell them that “Trump created this crisis by breaching the 2015 Iran nuclear deal,” as he wrote on his blog, “Informed Comment.”

 

Georgetown’s Iran specialist, Trita Parsi, may tell them that “this is a TOTALLY UNNECESSARY CRISIS” and “We’re only here cuz Trump quit the deal and put (national security adviser John) Bolton in charge of Iran policy” — assuming his Twitter commentary and classroom conduct are not out-of-sync.

From left: Juan Cole, Trita Parsi, Sasan Fayazmanesh

Sasan Fayazmanesh, director of the Middle East studies program at California State University, Fresno, may tell his students “the immediate cause of the recent crisis is the current US administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

 

In fact, hundreds of Middle East scholars, including eight former presidents of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), numerous emeritus and distinguished professors, and plenty of endowed-chair holders, will likely warn students of the “unmitigated disaster” created by the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and warn about the dangers of an impending “full-scale invasion and occupation” of Iran, as they wrote in an open letter to President Trump.