Communicative Action: Ahmadinejad to Americans...
At the Arabist blog, I learned of a letter issued by Iran's Ahmadinejad, by-passing the White House this time and going straight for the American people. Here is the Washington Post take on the open letter .
Even more interesting is the Fox website inviting its viewers to send back some letters.
The BBC's article is here. And here is the International Herald Tribune's reporting on the letter:
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the American people on Wednesday that he was certain they detested President Bush's policies - his support for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties - and he offered to work with them to reverse those policies.
The call came in the form of a six-page letter in English addressed to "noble Americans" that discussed "the many wars and calamities caused by the U.S. administration." It suggested that Americans had been fooled into accepting their government's policies, especially toward Israel.
"What have the Zionists done for the American people that the U.S. administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors?" Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote. "Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?"
This was the latest public step by Iran's president to promote a dialogue with the United States. He wrote a letter to Mr. Bush in May, calling on him to shift his policies and open a discussion, but it was dismissed by the White House as irrelevant to the central issue dividing them - Iran's nuclear program. Then Mr. Ahmadinejad challenged Mr. Bush to a public debate, also dismissed by the White House.
In short, Ahmadinejad has everyone in a buzz, but is anyone analyzing the words behind the words?
Even more interesting is the Fox website inviting its viewers to send back some letters.
The BBC's article is here. And here is the International Herald Tribune's reporting on the letter:
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the American people on Wednesday that he was certain they detested President Bush's policies - his support for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties - and he offered to work with them to reverse those policies.
The call came in the form of a six-page letter in English addressed to "noble Americans" that discussed "the many wars and calamities caused by the U.S. administration." It suggested that Americans had been fooled into accepting their government's policies, especially toward Israel.
"What have the Zionists done for the American people that the U.S. administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors?" Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote. "Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?"
This was the latest public step by Iran's president to promote a dialogue with the United States. He wrote a letter to Mr. Bush in May, calling on him to shift his policies and open a discussion, but it was dismissed by the White House as irrelevant to the central issue dividing them - Iran's nuclear program. Then Mr. Ahmadinejad challenged Mr. Bush to a public debate, also dismissed by the White House.
In short, Ahmadinejad has everyone in a buzz, but is anyone analyzing the words behind the words?
posted by Dahlia at 9:50 PM
9 Comments:
Ahmadinejad does have smarts, and charisma as well. I'm not talking about merits of argument. Bush would not be able to stand up to his charisma, in face to face talks.
OT: Chuck Hagel did vote for the war, while 20 Dems didn't.
OT: It is dawning on me, you have a gift, of being liked by political people of fighting camps. Actually you are the most politically independent person I ever know.
Thanks RE! I only speak from the heart, as I know you do too.
Ahmadinejad is a savvy politician and a dangerous man with bad intentions. As it has been said of Persians before, they will fight Islam's battles to the last Arab. He is a racist and a zealot with a long term view of history and events. He must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons capability.
Very true cb.
While the vast majority of Muslims are non-Arab, they seem to be the ones insighted to fight.
Both Bin-Laden and Ahmadinejad remind them constantly of the 11th century 'Crusades' and 16th century removal of Moors from Christian Spain.
Their culture can carry a 1000 year vendetta, while Western society forgets last months news when a new 'American Idol' is selected...
Folks - Just for the record, Ahmadinejad is not Arab! Iranians, for the most part are Persian. Farsi is spoken in Iran, not Arabic.
While we're on the subject, it might also be wise not to generalize about "culture". Unfounded generalizations tend to lead to unfounded conclusions. That is an exercise in self-delusion and can be dangerous if it results in the wrong policy.... Let's not forget about the US folly in Iraq, mostly a result of unfounded generalizations and false suppositions. Tens of thousands of lives later, I hope we have learned our lesson.
Dahlia
We are very aware that Ahmadinejad is a Persian that does not speak Arabic. That was the entire point in db's line that Persians will 'fight Islam's battles to the last Arab'.
His 'Security Forces' incite war in Iraq, Lebannon, Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Persians seem to be quite happy to let the Arab nations front their agenda.
I am not a fan of Ahmadinejad, but nor am I a fan of bigotry, something that both sides of the Atlantic are very guilty of. What is happening in the world today, at its heart, has nothing to do with religion.
I don't think that the emergence of the shiite crescent in the Middle-East would bother Egypt for example after reading the report of a geopolitics professor from Cairo.
The hegemony of the US lies down in the worldwide role of the dollar and the oilfields; this is why there is so much tensions between the US and Iran (a future Teheran Stock Exchange without the dollar challenging therefore the LIBOR). By controling the oilfields the US are also able to control oil prices and comfort their global dominance against future rivals such as China.
Energy hungry China started to break ground in the middle-east a few weeks ago under UN commandment in Lebanon in a demining mission. This is a clear sign of China's intentions to start an international cooperation to quench her thirst for oil, and arab countries do not see China as a political threat.
The future challenges of this XXIst century within a few decades in the Middle-East are not axed on Democracy and stabilitiy - these are 2 convenient words - but on seizing natural resources to comfort global dominance on others.
For the case of Iran, it is a country that is trying to open to the East instead of the West but they've been barred from many pipelines projects (one called IPI with Iran Pakistan and Indian then India put its veto on Iran at the UN and another one called TAP with Turkemistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan) arguing that Iran would use the money to develop atomic weapons.
Otherwise, yes most of Americans voted Democrats because they are convinced they lost the war in Iraq and since Europe and the US consider Hamas as a terrorist organization, the region is being reshaped with different geopolitical roles.
...etc
politques usa - you are always so insightful!
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