Kristin M. Swenson, Ph.D. Oct 28, 2011
Imagine Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton raising a glass with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his political opponent Mir-Hossein Mousavi in mutual celebration, without anyone losing face. Unlikely? Not so fast.
There is one day each year when it could happen, when a civil conversation between our countries, and even the factions within them, could take place: Oct. 29, a day commemorating the founder of the Persian Empire.
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On Oct. 29, in 539 B.C., Cyrus II rode into Babylon (about 50 miles south of modern Baghdad), and ancient sources say that its conquered masses threw palm fronds at his feet. Among the people who witnessed his arrival were those who had been taken captive some 50 years earlier when the Babylonian empire swept through the Middle East, destroying nations and dragging captives back to Babylon.
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Full article at Huffington Post
