The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has announced a delay to its planned tour of Iran. However, they say, the tour will still go ahead. The United States, in common with much of Europe, has issues with Iran just now, not least because of the Iranian nuclear program (and a jingoistic film recently broadcast on Iranian state television that depicted the Iranian nuclear devastation of a U.S. and Israeli targets won't have helped matters). So, this tour looks likely to provoke controversy.
Yet, whenever there are these musical cultural missions, controversy attends them. When some years ago the New York Philharmonic visited North Korea, arguments for and against the visit raged. In the end, in that case, the visit was followed not by a thawing of relations but by a period of increased North Korean belligerence and increased nuclear activity. For that matter, visits to that state by U.S. sports stars also seem to have made not a bit of difference.
Of course, there have been successes, and near successes. Isaac Stern's famous visit to China was a benchmark moment and arguably did have an effect in helping to build bridges. The Israel Philharmonic have come very close to being invited to at least two of the Middle East Arab states and that country has a myriad of smaller cross-cultural initiatives. Cultural visits between Russia and the U.K. for years kept a channel open between two very different worlds and it could be said helped to prepare the ground for the perestroika era when ties thawed. Even the success of the Buena Vista Social Club may have warmed feelings on the streets between Cuba and the U.S.
This latest initiative may do some good, or it may play into the propaganda of a hostile regime, it may anger those who have problems with Iran's human rights record, or it may at some level provide a good example for the guy in the street. On the other hand, once the politics revs into high gear, maybe it won't make the slightest bit of difference.
