On March 20, 2003, the United States and its coalition of allies invaded Iraq. Although the war was initially presented as a straightforward battle between freedom and tyranny, the moral milieu became a good deal murkier after Abu Ghraib and Haditha. In “9 Circles,” playwright Bill Cain invites the audience to look at the war through the lens of a single soldier’s experiences. It is a profoundly disquieting experience.

The title of the play references the nine circles of Hell in Dante’s “Inferno.” But while the play’s nine scenes are each called circles, they do not share the same themes as their counterparts in the “Inferno.”

The protagonist, Daniel Reeves (Stuart Mott), is a textbook example of an antihero. When we first meet him in Circle 1, he is about to receive an honorable discharge from the army due to a ‘personality disorder.’ It is difficult to know what to make of Reeves at first. With his Texan drawl and his “America Fuck Yeah” attitude, it is tempting to write him off as a buffoon. But at the same time, there are hints of underlying intelligence as well as underlying trauma.

From that point on, Reeves is on a downward spiral. He ends up in jail, accused of raping a 14-year old Iraqi girl and killing her along with her entire family. As he waits for a judge to decide his fate, he encounters various people who allegedly want to help him, from an enigmatic army lawyer (William Bolz) to a pastor with a penchant for internet porn (Whitney Derendinger). In a way, they play the role of Virgil to Reeves’ Dante, and each one of them helps guide Reeves along the path to self-discovery.

The best thing about “9 Circles” is that it explores the subject of war in a sophisticated manner. Instead of simply condemning Reeves as a monster and leaving it at that, it actually invites us to consider the extent to which he is also a victim of circumstances far beyond his control. Cain’s script is a treasure–a superb blend of erudition leavened with dark humor.

This production of “9 Circles” was part of Mott’s senior honors thesis at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. Choosing such a complex piece was something of a gamble, but it paid off handsomely. Mott has proven that he has some serious acting chops. Reeves spends most of the play in varying degrees of rage, yet Mott’s emotional intensity never faltered. And although Reeves is a character with few redeeming qualities, Mott did an excellent job of humanizing him.

Mott’s co-stars also delivered top-notch performances. The script required them to play multiple roles, and they did it with aplomb. Whitney Derendinger did a particularly nice job playing the profane pastor. There was a subtle undercurrent of menace throughout his performance, and Reeves spoke for the entire audience when he said “you are the god-damnest minister.”

Finally, Jakob Aebly deserves praise for his superb score. It was utterly haunting, and it really enhanced the action on stage.

Image courtesy of Dan Meyers.

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For decades, Iran has been a subject of multilateral international sanctions which have failed to produce cumulative effects on influencing Iran’s policy on its nuclear program. The “toughest sanctions to date,” as quoted by President Obama, will come into full effect on 28th June 2012. Once again, sanctions fall under the umbrella of attempting to prevent Iran from pursuing its nuclear proliferation program.

According to an International Atomic Agency Report 2011, Iran is aiming towards obtaining nuclear weapons and the punitive methods used by the U.S. government will not just subvert the central bank of Iran but will also have an effect on its energy and transport sector. Pressure has also been exerted on other governments to join in with the implementation of a fourth round of UN sanctions on Iran.

Ranking fifth in the world in its oil reserves and second in gas reserves, Iran is clearly an important energy resource base and a major supplier of oil and natural gas to countries like India, China and Japan. In January 2012, the European Union froze assets of Iran’s central bank within its zone and will be extending oil shipment ban later in July. The severity of these sanctions has made it impossible for companies, banks and governments to do any business dealings with Iran.

The debate about whether or not Iran has a right to nuclear energy is as old as Queen Elizabeth’s ascent to the throne. For Iran, acquisition of nuclear energy has become a matter of national pride and in response to this fourth round of multilateral sanctions taken by the UN in 2010, Iran has responded by stating its right to peaceful nuclear energy.

Iran is a study of complexity and intrigue. It is difficult to understand a society that tethers between the modernism of Shah’s time and adherence to the early years of Islam. Iran’s image in the global world is tarnished, and according to a BBC poll in 2012, Iran tops their list as the country that offers “the most negative influence in the world.”

With the collapse of Saddam’s Baathist regime and the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan, an altered and delicate balance of power exists in Southwest Asia. Iran’s strategic importance has made itself a point of convergence of the interests of major players, particularly the US. One only needs to look at the map of the Middle East to know the strategic importance of Iran to the US.

In last 10 years, the strong and divisive fissure in U.S. foreign policy to coerce Tehran into adapting a new stance on the war on terrorism has also failed. Sanctions imposed by the Bush administration in 2006 barred Iran from dealing with US financial institutions, even indirectly. As a result, continuous rounds of sanctions have severed diplomatic ties between the two countries. The restart of the Iranian nuclear program and the US retaliation in terms of sanctions, further induces strong images of adversaries that are monolithically aggressive, diabolical, and untrustworthy. For adversaries who hold equally negative images of the other, the ability for each side to misperceive the enemy’s intent has become more pervasive. This means that it is highly possible that the mutual fear between the US and Iran may result in war.

In the present, the impending talks of attacks on Iran are chiefly driven by concern over the safety of US energy supplies, which is similar to the 2003 Iraq war. However, it is certain that the US will never mention oil as a reason for attacking Iran and furthermore, weapons of mass destruction will be cited as the principal justification for war. It is a concern that waging a war against Iran will worsen the cycle of war and violence in the Middle East since that has been continuing since time immemorial.

There is a pursuing debate among international community about the efficacy of these sanctions. With the impending global recession, and ongoing crisis in the Middle East and North African regions (MENA), boycotting Iranian oil will have an adverse effect on world supplies, especially for developing countries. Even though Iranian oil exports are down by 25%, the government has refused to compromise its stance on its nuclear program.

We shouldn’t forget that Iranian anger over centuries of foreign meddling in their sovereign affairs hasn’t yet disseminated. Iranians have yet to learn to forgive the US and its allies over the ousting of Mossadegh in 1953. If the international media can manipulate and present Iran as something out of the stone ages, then Iranian media has also been ambivalent in showing America and its allies as their version of the axis of evil.

Also, the Shiite faction across the world is fiercely loyal to Iran and has taken its impalpable oath of allegiance to the Ayatollah of Iran. Ali Khamenei’s term is coming to an end, but to think that the new government will be easy to manipulate like the puppet governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan could merely be more wishful thinking. Already, the sanctions have fueled bitter resentment against countries participating in them. Perhaps it’s a time for Euro-Anglo-American bodies to renew their policies and ascertain a modus vivendi that will build ties and, more importantly, will guarantee the stability of the Gulf region.

Economic sanctions throughout history have had corrosive effects on the population of a sanctioned country. Though the government of Iran is confident in its ability to ‘weather’ such sanctions, this is the biggest challenge the country will face since the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war. With the evolving recession crisis worldwide, it will be interesting to see how Iran will overcome these further imposed sanctions.

Image Courtesy of  [john]

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