Saturday, January 31, 2009

Iran says Obama's offer to talk shows US failure

For once, Ahmadinejad and I are in agreement.


US President Barack Obama's offer to talk to Iran shows that America's policy of "domination" has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

"This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed," Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

"Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change," he added.

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to "unclench its fist".

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its "crimes" against Iran and saying he expected "deep and fundamental" change from Obama.

Iranian politicians frequently refer to the US administration as the "global arrogance", "domineering power" and "Great Satan".

Tensions with the United States have soared over Iran's nuclear drive and Ahmadinejad's vitriolic verbal attacks against Washington's close regional ally Israel.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

APPEASEMENT = WEAKNESS

Epaminondas said...

What will it take?

Has anyone read Manchester's second volume on Churchill, or Shirer on what the germans leadership were saying to each other and doing while baldwin and chamberlain fell over each other to prove how harmless and well meaning they were?

Pastorius said...

Epa,
I think we can be pretty damned sure Obama has not read Shirer.

Damien said...

Pastorius,

Personally this is one of the few things that I would expect to agree with Ahmadinejad on. If he didn't say so openly, most dictators see attempts to reason with them as a form of weakness.

Pastorius said...

Damien,

As dictators, they recognize that their power comes from force, so that's the only power they respect.

The truth is, even a culture based upon the height of reason still needs to be backed up by a gun.

Damien said...

Pastorius,

Sad but true. From time to time free people must defend themselves against those that would take their freedom away, and often that requires war. I think it was Thomas Jefferson who once said, "From time to time the tree of liberty must be watered with the blood of tyrants and patriots."