Hello class. The topic for this week was, of course, President Ahmadinejad. You guys definitely have some strong opinions about him.
You will need to comment on Ahmadinejad's letter to Americans. It is included in the reader.
Basically, as an American, or at least someone who currently resides here, what is your reaction to this letter? What would you like to say to him as a reply?
Be sure to come up with some issues that came up this week in lecture.
Don't forget to vote this Tuesday! (Doesn't matter who you vote for; just do it!)
-Amir
6 comments:
Obviously his critique of US foreign and domestic policy is ludicrous in the context of Iran's policies. As to whether or not this is a sincere attempt at opening a dialogue between the US and Iran, it seems more like he is pushing an appealing rhetoric for the purpose of improving his public image. Certainly in light of his past comments it would be foolhardy to take this new, "peaceful" rhetoric at face value. Though most of the sources I read regarded this letter as, in the words of one columnist, "tripe" one source went so far as to compare the letter to the sort of entreaties celebrities send out to newspapers to correct misconceptions about their public image, while another (very conservative) source compared Ahmadinejad's rhetoric to that of US democrats who have a "shared loathing" of US shortcomings. Still, I think there is something more insidious in the content than a simple attempt to identify w/ US citizens.
Obviously there are several hypocrisies in the accusations that Ahmadinejad made in his letter, and they are all too easy to point out. If I was an American citizen I would probably be faintly outraged or simply amused by the gall that it takes to make such comments. It does, however represent an attempt at creating a dialogue between Iranian and American governments, something that the Bush administration has not been prepared to reciprocate. The nature, unfortunately, of the letter seems to have been specifically designed to arouse the ire of the average American citizen, and the supposed tone of “politeness”, as seen in his praise, for example of Jesus (though he is always pointedly referred to as “God rest his soul” which will really get any Christians worked up) and in his exhortation that “we must improve out performance”, puts any recipient of the letter in a dangerous situation. To reply is to betray some elements of the population as you are taking this abuse, polite as it may be, and are yet prepared to respond in a civilised manner to your aggressor, yet to not reply is to be undiplomatic in the extreme as you have been presented with a perfectly politely worded invitation for a dialogue. Presumably a similar sounding epistle will be sent to whoever is on the winning side today as an opportunity for a fresh start; whoever it is will have to prepared for Ahmadinejad’s next piece of shrewd diplomatic calculation.
Having not taken this class I would honestly have said that I was quite impressed with the rhetoric and charisma in this letter. I really liked the structure of his arguments, the flow, and the use of rhetorical questions to get his statements across. Furthermore, so many of his points (e.g. “It is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one of coercion, force, and injustice,”) were very poignant and true. In addition, it is an outreach for dialogue and cooperation between the US and Iran which is an honorable gesture on behalf of Ahmandinejad.
However, because of the knowledge I have gained from this class, I see that Americans educated on the travesties and history of Iran would probably not take this letter very seriously. Hypocrisy is embedded throughout this letter and I am surprised that Ahmandinejad never admitted any wrongdoing or parallels to Iran’s foreign and internal policies. I also think it is questionable for Ahmandinejad to criticize America for not looking out for its citizens’ interests when in this letter is directed to defend the interests of the Palestinian people—not Iranians who do not as a whole support some of the causes. While I do believe he sincerely meant to get a message across to the American people, I imagine there were underlying motives in play (whether they be public image or otherwise), that prompted him to write this on-the-surface diplomatic letter.
Ahmadinejad’s letter to the American people is very contradictory in and of itself. I felt his criticisms of the U.S. were on point and very truthful, I would go as far as to say that I agree with most of his points. American has gone too far with the use of torture and imprisonment of innocent individuals in the pursuit of eradicating terrorism. But Ahamdinejad fails to mention Iran’s support of terrorism, although he feels compelled to say, “we all condemn terrorism, because its victims are the innocent.”
All of American’s irrational actions Ahmadinejad touches on are all actions that Iran has partaken in as well. Iran has a long history of torture, terrorism (or supporting terrorist groups), and other such injustices. Although Ahmadinejad’s criticism are well deserved and in align with other international views, he is in no position to condemn the U.S.’ actions when he is currently the head of a state responsible for similar actions.
I think it is ironic that he criticizes the U.S. “blind” support for Israel, when Iran would blindly support mean nations in a war against the west, or a war against western ideologies. States actions are all based are the same motive, to protect their state and their interest. It is in the U.S. interest to protect Israel because it represents western ideologies in an area dominated by Islam (the enemy to the west). And of course Iran would support other Muslim countries in a war against the west, because it is in the best interest of the state. The fact that neither state can see that their actions are based upon the same motives (just aiming for different outcomes) is astounding.
I found this letter was very thought provoking for me, as an American. Whether you agree or disagree with what he is saying, I commend him for sending such a bold letter to the US. The two topics of the letter that stood out most for me was the "war on terror" killing even more innocent people and his criticism of the Patriot Act, showing that the "US administration's illegal and immoral behavior is not even confined to outside borders." We should all be concerned. If I had to reply to Ahmadinejad, I would thank him for his concern. For those upset that he is preaching something he doesn't practice, the US could always pave the way, as an example for Iran to follow.
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