Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in the papers after turning up touring Lebanon.
The United States and Israel have expressed concern, with the White House deeming the visit provocative and Israeli officials calling Ahmadinejad a warmonger. How black must that Israeli pot and kettle be? I haven't got enough fingers to count the wars Israel has got itself into. Stick a pin in a map of the middle east and it is high odds Israel has fought with it.
I have never really understood why there is so much animosity from Israel and America towards the Iranian leader.
Yes, his country backs Hezbollah but America and Israel have a history of backing some very iffy characters.
Israel gave South Africa of all countries the technology to build the bomb while America were best pals with the Taliban not so long ago and Al Queada has 'made in America' stamped right through it.
He wants to build nuclear power stations just like Britain, Israel, USA, France and most of the world. No evidence whatsoever that he wants to build nuclear weapons like Britain, Israel, USA and the others already in the nuclear club.
He doesn't like how Israel treats its neighbours, especially the Palestinians, but outside of the USA and Israel, nobody likes how Israel treats its neighbours especially the Palestinians.
The often repeated speech where he supposedly called for Israel to be wiped off the map has been dismissed here before anyone pipes up with that bit of disinformation.
So unless i am missing something, i can't see why Ahmadinejad is the bad guy especially when there are worse countries in that particular area.
4 comments:
I'm not a fan. He says a lot of stuff that's both offensive and wrong, and he isn't big on human rights for his own people (a trait he shares with the previous Ayatollahs and Shahs of Iran).
However, this isn't to say that the western media doesn't systematically misquote and demonize him, because it clearly does. As you say, he has called for the elimination of the 'Zionist regime' i.e. referring to a system of governance rather than populations or cities. That 'wiped off the map' thing was made up. And it's easy to see the possible political motivations for attributing stuff like this to him.
It's also notable that our media has left many of us with the idea that President Ahmadinejad is Iran's 'leader'. It's not as simple as that. The Supreme Leader is the most powerful figure in the Iranian government, and the President also has to work with a 'parliament' of mullahs and imams and a Guardian Council of clerics (both of whom he regularly conflicts with). That our mainstream media regularly cites Ahmadinejad as if he was 'THE voice of Iran' without qualification is one of its many, many recent failings.
hanz,
i think the historical references are hysterical. the enemy of my enemy is my ally. that changes daily in some circles. no country has permanant allies.
the no evidence comment is funny. if hitler had somehow survived and somehow made his way back to power today, and he wanted a nuclear plant would you demand evidence?
would you wait until iran threatens to use a nuke, or acutally uses one (evidence) before trying to stop the acquisition of one? isn't a that a bit like closing the barnyard gate after the cows are out?
q
Comparing Ahmadinejad to Hitler?
Pre-emptive strikes also? Where no lessons learned about making threats against someone you suspect of having WMD's and nukes but no evidence from the Iraq adventure?
where did i compare ahmad and hitler?
i'm absolutely against pre-emptive strikes for the UK. i think yawl should take 2 nukes (just in case the first one was accident) before you retaliate. after all, what is the big deal about a few million british deaths anyway... right?
surely you don't want me to go thru the history of mankind and cite all of the pre-emptive strikes that were justified... right?
q
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