Engagement at work
A reporter named Trudy Rubin had dinner with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. She said: “The overwhelming sense I had from the dinner was of opportunities being squandered to improve U.S.-Iranian relations.” Here is more of her report:
Ahmadinejad’s orations on religion are clearly central to his thinking. He stresses his hope for the return of the Mahdi, the savior in Shiite Islam. Some analysts argue he might want to speed that return by destroying Israel (just as some Protestant fundamentalists yearn for Armageddon in Israel to bring on the End Time).
So I asked the Iranian leader whether he believed a war was needed to usher in the Mahdi’s return. He seemed surprised by the question. His response: “We believe the Mahdi will arrive so there [will be] no war, in order to bring peace and justice. He will arrive along with Christ to spread compassion [Shiite tradition holds the two will return together]. It is possible to help [the process] by seeking justice, by resisting injustice.” This reply made me wonder whether Ahmadinejad’s calls for justice were his way of trying to hasten the Mahdi’s return…
Ahmadinejad has nothing like Hitler’s power. He never replied to my second question: “Who really makes foreign and security policy in Iran?” Those decisions aren’t his, but are made by Iran’s supreme clerical leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ahmadinejad’s popularity is dropping at home because he hasn’t delivered on economic promises (although insults hurled at him in America may boost his standings). Many observers think he will lose in 2009 elections. Frustrating he is, because his rhetoric inflames tensions and gives ammo to politicians who want military action. But Hitler he is not.
The dinner, the engagement between Iran and the US, apparently helped clarify the thinking of some who attended. Ms. Rubin’s observations show just how much engagement works. It clearly works wonders. Gosh, we had been worried for a minute. Now everything’s ok. Thanks!
September 29th, 2007 at 1:01 am
On the day he arrived he called us to Allah, the requisite requirement of Islam before war. Of course the MSM missed that, and even if you pointed it out to them they would look at you with bewilderment. I think the very least we can do is return the favor. Of course we will have to go through the requisite Western way of having our nose bloodied before we wake up. Much as I’m not a very big fan of the third President of the United States of America, at least he understood what he was dealing with and handled it accordingly. Pity that we’ve learned so little in all this time. Hopefully, God still has a special providence for fools, drunks, and the United States of America.