Trade and Human Rights: Women

     For a long time I have said that Iran, a great country with a long tradition, was going through a difficult period and that the US should be patient with it. Now the US government is making overtures to it. While the victory of the democrats in the recent election provided a pretext, other reasons are that Iran is a market for US farm products and an important supplier of oil, whose price rise has soared.
     Since a major issue has been human rights, including the rights of women, it is appropriate that a woman, Madeleine Albright, will be the US spokesperson. Richard Geddes, an economist and a National Fellow at Hoover, is studying the economic status of women in developing countries. He should pay attention to Iran, about which he can get help from two women. One is Robin Wright, international correspondent of the Los Angeles Times, who has just published Iran, the Last Great Revolution. The other is Guity Nashat, the wife of Gary Becker of the University of Chicago Economics Department, of which Richard is a product. He may well know her. I think she is at Hoover now.

Ronald Hilton - 3/17/00