US Iran Nuclear Deal Reflection

The semester-long group blog work project was an excellent opportunity for me to challenge my work methods and expand my understanding of the international politics surrounding the US Iran nuclear deal. The blog posts have ranged from an overview and background of the deal, to U.S. and Middle-Eastern reactions to the deal. The overall aim of the blog was to inform our viewers about the complexities of the deal, by describing the serious threat of nuclear power, and the implications of Iranian irresponsibility to the world, specifically by highlighting the impacts that the deal has on the States surrounding Iran. Our posts have intentionally brought up many “what-if” questions, to which no clear answers exist. As explained in the blog, there is a general sense of anxiety and tension surrounding the deal for many reasons pertinent to the agendas of varying nations. While the first post offered an introductory approach to understanding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the second and third posts attempt to build from the platform of ideas laid out from the first, supplementing it with concrete examples of the opinions of many politicians. For example, opinions from Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Adel al-Jubeir, and the Lebanese government have all been explored and discussed in the subsequent posts. The second blog post made the greatest effort to incorporate current-events, having been published right after the third U.S. presidential debate, it drew upon the sentiments expressed by Trump and Clinton, who frequently brought up their contrasting opinions of the Iran nuclear deal.

             

Literature regarding the US Iran nuclear deal exists predominately online due to the fact that it is a relatively recent event, and thus my research relied heavily on international news sources. The fundamental aspect of conducting successful research for this blog was maintaining a balance of sources that reflect varying state biases. I therefore approached my research by using sources influenced by both the West and the Middle East, such as BBC and AlJazeera. Working in a group meant that our broad ideas were divided into specific topics for each member to research. Therefore, my other group members influenced my approach to research because they helped minimize the scope of information, and I tried to avoid using the same sites as them in order to have diverse references. Most of our group met in person to conduct research, which enabled us to bounce ideas and questions off of each other, and we made suggestions about alternate approaches to writing and helpful sources for each other use. Overall, working in a group provided for a plethora of ideas and interpretations to come together for a more thought-out blog than if I had pursued the project individually. 

            

The most important skill that this project has instilled unto me was patience with my peers. I am a very independent and controlling person, so I tend to avoid group work whenever possible. However, it is very important to acknowledge that everyone has to partake in group work throughout their lives, and so, even though it is not my preference, it was important for me to challenge myself to working with a group throughout the semester. I learned how to be more accepting of contrasting ideas, and how to integrate diverse opinions into my own work. I learned that communication needs to be very clear and direct, because miscommunication within groups is very common. Planning meetings far in advanced, and then sending out reminders is another crucial aspect of group work, because all of the members have differing schedules. The research that I conducted led me to become more skilled at evaluating news sources, and I became more familiar with international news sources rather than the common U.S. news outlets. In regard to the topic of the blog, I learned a tremendous amount beyond the nuclear deal itself. I initially chose this group topic because it was one of the international events that I was the least familiar with, and thus I wanted to learn a lot more about it, which I did. I learned about the process of obtaining nuclear power, both in terms of actually cultivating it and the political process that goes along with it. I became much more knowledgable about Iranian history and politics, and the social, economic, and political impacts that Iran has on its neighboring states. And I also learned about the ways that the deal impacts U.S. politics, and thus how it shapes public opinion. Overall, I feel very appreciative of the collaboration from the members of my group and feel that the project was a great way for us to learn about current events that are related to the themes of our course.