Saturday, September 25, 2010

Ahmadinejad in New York, But Tehran on His Mind

By Nader Uskowi

Ahmadinejad’s claim that most people believe the US government was behind the 9/11 attacks was deeply hateful. And as shameful was his choice of venue, so near the Ground Zero. At its face, such behavior might be seen as irrational or even insane. But Ahmadinejad knew what he was doing, trying to provoke the US and the West to take further actions against his country, even military actions against its nuclear facilities. He seems welcoming the deepening of the crisis in Iran’s relations with the West, not so much as a rational foreign policy for the country, but as a calculated political move to take the upper hands in the growing infightings within the regime. Ahmadinejad is after taking control of the Islamic Republic, and any comments, no matter how hateful or provocative they might be, are not off limit for him.

Ahmadinejad’s drive for control does not start or end with foreign policy, although a state of conflict with the West, at least until he succeeds in controlling the Islamic Republic, is helpful to consolidate his powers. His main targets, however, are the traditional conservatives and the country’s clergy. He, his chief of staff Mashaie, and the people around them, have no use for the clergy. They claim they are in direct communication with Mahdi, the Hidden Imam, which leaves no needs for middlemen. They are discounting the “Islamic identity” of the Islamic Republic, opting to highlight the “Iranian identity” of their version of Islam. On the surface, they offer a more modern alternative to the backwardness that defines the clerical rule. Albeit ”modernity” built on armed forces, i.e. the IRGC, state of perpetual conflict with the West, and suppression of the opposition, including some of the most loyal defenders of the Islamic revolution. An atomic bomb is also helpful. A model not far apart from that of the early Baathists.

Ahmadinejad controls the government and its vast resources and is grooming his possible successor. But he is not the only game in town. The supreme leader also controls enormous amounts of money, with no need to report the budget of his "house" to the Majlis or anyone else, with free hands to disperse its wealth to consolidate his already vast powers. The traditional conservatives under Khamenei’s leadership and the radical right under Ahmadinejad will vie more intensely than ever to control the future of Iran. Other factions and the opposition would also play important roles in shaping of that future amid growing conflicts within the regime and with the outside world. Ahmadinejad's "performance" in New York is really meant for the home audience.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Honestly, I don't know which is worse: Ahmadinejad's 9/11 comments, or Obama perpetuating the lie of the "Israel wiped off the map" quote, falsely attributed to the Iranian president. Clinton is a repeat offender, as well.

"the Imam said that this regime occupying Jerusalem (een rezhim-e eshghalgar-e qods) must [vanish from] the page of time (bayad az safheh-ye ruzgar mahv shavad)."

Anonymous said...

Ahmadi nejad speech about 9/11 was unnecessary, everythnig else was he said was o.k.

Unfortunately the politiker are usually blithering.
who talks too much, gives a lot of nonsense

Persicus Maximus said...

9/11 Revisited

please take a read, there is also a link to his unedited speech in case interested;

http://www.persicus-maximus.blogspot.com/

Persicus Maximus said...

Don't want to be intuding, but regarding the translations at the UN I wrote something last year which has become relevant again.
Ahmadinejads first speech was not translated while speaking.

http://persicus-maximus.blogspot.com/2009/10/lost-in-translation.html

in cae anyone wants to follow up.

Anonymous said...

Ahmadi has made many silly statements. But this doesn't wipe away the folly of the Iraq/Afghan wars. Iraq especially was based on fabricated intelligence and spin. Why did tens of thousands of Muslims need to die based on such flimsly pretexts?

The US rection in the past years has been the worse example of eye-for-an-eye blind vengeance. Why should Muslims not be allowed to express their horror abd anger at how many of their brethren have died in wars related to that tragic event?

- Zaki

Anonymous said...

pathetic

reader said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
reader said...

Excellent analysis – far better than anything I have read in many of the broadsheet papers in UK and USA.
Ahmadinejad needs to remain in a continuous state of conflict with the West for survival - like a cyclist, he would not fall off unless he stops pedalling.

Alborz said...

What do you want to say Mr uskuwi ?

I can not understandt your Article.
what is the purpose of this ?

It starts with Ahmadi nejad Speech in NY and ending with role of Khameni ,this faction and other factions.
Iranian Identity versus islamic identity.

an irrelevant idelogical dispute,
among some theoreticians.
not important to real life of the people.

Arshama said...

Thank you, Mr. Uskowi, for your useful assessment of AN's shameful lies and deliberate offenses. Unfortunately Iran's government is run by a Bassiji, who dreams of reviving the Islamic Republic with another war. His calculation will fail as a corpse cannot be revived by such means, but it is the people who will pay the price...

Anonymous said...

He began his remarks by praying, “O God, hasten the arrival of Imam al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those who attest to his righteousness.” Ahmadinejad believes the way to “hasten” the Twelfth Imam’s coming is to annihilate the U.S. and Israel. This would bring about the “victory” that Ahmadinejad prayed for on American soil. Few in the West, including our leaders, understand what Ahmadinejad and his colleagues in the Iranian government believe. And that’s the problem.

R Stewart said...

Interesting. I've just posted a few comments that underline Ahmadinejad's contention that the U.S. and Israel were behind the events of 9/11. This was posted with hard factual references about the arrest of some Israelis after 9/11 and the standing-down of air patrols over New York on the day of the attacks.

Now, strangely those comments have been removed. Why? Is this website run by Western sponsored dissidents. Or maybe Western covert operations?

Anonymous said...

I pray that God keeps President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad safe and well. The world needs more men like him.
His proposal to dispose of the ‘veto’ power that controls the UN should be done now…. not in a year.
Well, next year is only three months from today.
The UN investigation of 9/11 will be a miracle that has been needed for nine years.

Anonymous said...

Mr Usokwi,

Maybe you mis-heard Ahmadi's speech, he wasn't accusing the US/Israel per se. Even the NY Times admits as much here:

"A headline on Friday with an article about an incendiary speech in the United Nations General Assembly by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran summarized his remarks about the Sept. 11 terror attacks incorrectly. In his speech, Mr. Ahmadinejad asserted various theories about the origin of the attacks, including the possibility that they had been planned by the United States. He did not say that the United States had planned the attacks."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/25/pageoneplus/corrections.html?_r=1

Nader Uskowi said...

Anon 6:11 PM,

What I reported here was that Ahmadinejad said most of people believe the attacks were organized by the US. By the way he included most of the governments in that category. This was not a university professor talking theories in a classroom, but a political leader addressing the most important diplomatic gathering. He knew what he was doing!

R Stewart,

We do not delete comments by conspiracy theorists or anyone else for that matter because of their political content. If you are referring to 25 Sep 2:39 pm comment, it appears it was deleted by the author, not by an administrator. It would say so otherwise.

Anonymous said...

Great. This conspiracy theory by the nut job who shouts the halocaust never happened. The fact that no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist.

Anonymous said...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703860104575507961881959510.html

Breakfast With Ahmadinejad

"... but my own impression of Ahmadinejad was that he was easily the smartest guy in the room. He mocked us in a way we scarcely had the wit to recognize. We belittle him at our peril."

Mr. Stephens writes the Journal's Global View column.

Anonymous said...

Mr Stevens wears womens underwear.