As if our nation had not already dug its international reputation into an ominous hole, last week’s episode with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad only worsened matters.
Ahmadinejad visited New York to address the United Nations General Assembly. At the invitation of Columbia University’s President Lee Bollinger, Ahmadinejad made a pit stop at the campus where his arrival was met with a cacophony of controversy.
At first, I was impressed by Bollinger’s courage to invite a political figure who is largely detested in the Western Hemisphere to his campus. But Bollinger’s insulting introduction of the president as a “petty and cruel dictator” replaced my awe with anger.
Way to take the high road, Mr. Bollinger. What’s really petty and cruel is that opening statement, confirming the common stigma of arrogance and self-righteousness we are often pegged with as Americans.
Bollinger’s ill-mannered words were a feeble attempt to appease those he had offended in the first place.
Despite our media’s attempts to find folly in Ahmadinejad’s responses, many found his words provocative and even eloquent.
A former professor of engineering and a man of humble beginnings, Ahmadinejad presented himself at Columbia as an academic, a man of reason with a calm and collected voice.
He urged that his contentious vocalizations regarding the Holocaust were in the spirit of scholarly inquisition.
Ahmadinejad also challenged us to justify why the people of Palestine should suffer for a war they were not a part of, further asserting that Iran’s nuclear program was solely for peaceful purposes by citing Iran’s cooperation and compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Shifting seamlessly from a defensive to an offensive tone, Ahmadinejad pointed out the hypocrisy of American accusations toward Iran.
How can a nation that leads the world in nuclear proliferation question a country that is legally pursuing nuclear energy?
I was satisfied to see Ahmadinejad point the finger of blame to America, reminding us of our illegal occupation of Iraq as well as our unmitigated financial support of Israel.
After all, we must not forget that we aided Saddam Hussein in his usage of chemical weapons in the Iran-Iraq War, a war that left over 200,000 Iranians dead.
In light of this wicked historical backdrop, it is either “brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated” (Bollinger’s words of introduction to Ahmadinejad) of us to treat Iran’s president as if he is the harbinger of Armageddon.
Suffice it to say there is much water under the bridge between Iran and the United States, and considering a fair analysis would undoubtedly place most of the fault for these past disputes on our nation, our disrespectful treatment becomes even more absurd.
Ahmadinejad asserted that self-reliance and self-determination are priorities for the Iranian people and suggested that these aspirations, in fact, are the root of America’s hostility toward Iran.
I bet Bollinger was feeling warm and fuzzy inside when the students of Columbia responded with resounding applause each time the Iranian president skillfully turned the tables.
Except, of course, when he elicited boos and hisses upon his denial of the existence of homosexuality in Iran and the claims that women in Iran enjoy the “highest levels of freedom.”
Admittedly, the authenticity of his assertions should be scrutinized given the deplorable track record of human rights abuses within Iran.
But as far as the disregard and disdain that seemed to be tattooed to his world image, he managed to present himself as more of a diplomat than a dictator.
He inspired a few laughs and many rounds of applause, clearly articulated the Iranian position, and even delivered several indictments toward America.
Vakil is an alumnus from the Class of 2006 and former Daily Bruin Viewpoint columnist.