munchkin

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/world...ter/index.html

It's definitely an interesting read.

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Obi

Yes, interesting.

The BBC had an article about this the other day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/4752831.stm

Apparently there will be no official response to the letter.

It's difficult to tell what the Iranian Presidents motives are. If I was to make a judgment on Mahmoud Ahmadinejad just from reading that letter alone I would say that he is very respectable. However, I think it is more than a coincidence that this letter was written at the same time Iran is under massive pressure to stop it's Uranium enrichment.

I'm not really sure what kind of response Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was wanting to recieve. He has basically told Bush to have a look at the state of the world and stop spending money on Iraq and instead help people in poverty.

munchkin

I found myself agreeing with a number of Ahmadinejad's points in the opening segments of the letter (before the religious rhetoric), and found the tone and message quite surprising. While it has been dismissed for not saying "anything new", IMO it is a subtle and veiled attempt to display willingness for negotiations or talks.

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AMosely

This is really fascinating and complicated - Americans should read this letter. There are points in this letter that I agree with, and questions that I think are perfectly valid in both the asking and in the pressing need for answer:

- Don't Latin Americans have have the right to ask, why their elected governments are being opposed and coup leaders supported?

- Don't (Africans) have the right to ask why their enourmous wealth - including minerals - is being looted, despite the fact that they need it more than others?

- If the billions of dollars spent on war and defense were instead spent on investment and assistance for poor countries - health, education, welfare and mediation to find the roots of conflicts, where would the world be today?

- Is there no better way to interact with the rest of the world than American policies today?

What is to be said about the U.S. role (which is well documented) in the Iranian coup-de'Etat of 1953? How well does Bush and the American administration understand the long-term consequences of actions such as this, and what does this indicate for the future consequences of today's policy decisions? I fear they don't understand it well enough. I also fear that they don't have enough respect for the truth, as this letter clearly insinuates multiple times over.

I was surprised to see the references to Sept. 11, and the condeming of the killing of innocents. Based on this language, this doesn't sound like a regime that is eager to drop a nuclear weapon on innocent people. It's not a peace-loving nation either - and it certainly is a nation with grievances - but to me it doesn't sound like it has an any more itchy or unstable trigger finger than America currently does.

I believe that the Iraninan nuclear program is being used as a political ploy first and foremost, not unlike the 1979 hostage crisis in which many current Iranian officials were a part of, and frankly I would rather see the Iranian leadership go that route than to try and use terrorism in order to gain a podium on the World stage. This choice alone should be applauded and acknowledged. I also think it is admirable to attempt to communicate and voice grievances like this. I think it is disrespectful of the Bush administration to not even acknowledge it - the letter was underhandedly written off by Condoleeza Rice, which I think is a mistake - she could have just as easily said that she read the letter and will discuss it in the proper forum - this could be used as a leverage point to gain a diplomatic foothold. Instead, it is merely another display of American arrogance and self-righteousness.

What's most fascinating to me is how the letter keeps citing Jesus Christ and human history - the need for everlasting peace and justice. It asks how much longer the World can tolerate deception and lies. I certainly wish more political leaders would seriously debate such questions.

Unitl they do, I'm afraid the answer is hundreds and hundreds of years.

Obi

Is this letter big new in the States? I hope it is so that Bush is forced to take it seriously.

Was the letter shortened at all?

I only saw eight pages of it.

leejo

Yes I hope Bush takes it seriously too. Perhaps it will generate some dialog and he can inform Americans soon that there will be peace in our time.

I'm not sure how this letter affects Ahmadinejad's repeated predictions of wiping Israel off the map, but it certainly seems to have accomplished its goal.

xTYBALTx

Not from what I can tell. . .

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A policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy. -F.A. Hayek

Eggplant999

hahaha i love that last sentence... maybe it's cause i just had surgey & am on oxycodin or whatever tho

aeroripper

It is utopian thinking, the world will never be free of injustice and lies. As long as there are humans, these things will continue to happen in one form or another. As for when and how much and under what circumstances, these can be avoided or kept at a minimum. I highly disagree with his notion that if everyone be (forced?) to follow the almighty's laws (whatever version you wish to believe), the world would be peaceful and just. I saw it more as spotting bush's hypocrisy in how he declares himself a christian yet does all these things that are contrary to his religions beliefs.

I think he did have some true points about our history with them and mideast in general, also with his comments about the creation of Israel, and how it was unfair and deadly to the indigenious people. Although can't the same be said for just about every other country at one point in their history has wiped out or minimalized an indigenious people? I do believe what's done is done and all sides need to learn how to get along with eachother now (including Israel).

He has a funny way of looking at the holocaust and just says it like "so they say 6 million jews died in this war, how would it be logical that they create a new state for themselves in palestine" or something close to that. It's kind of ignoring the long history jews have had in that area of the world.

munchkin

The first I heard of it was on the fricking Daily Show - sad to say, I hear more about US and international affairs from there than from any other source.

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aeroripper

I havn't seen people talking about it in the streets so to speak, but then again I don't really talk politics to people on the street either :P.

What do you all think about his comments on democratic liberalism? Is he implying that the way the US handles democracy and its "promotion" around the world is represenative of all forms of democracy?

I would like to read the full version, I hope its fully translated and released to the public.

CingularDuality

Yes, it was discussed widely yesterday. Not the top news story, but if you watched or listened to a news program, you heard about it.

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