The Ahmadinejad Show

[Yusuf]

On Thursday afternoon in his New York hotel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad punted questions about human rights, expressed sympathy for the downtrodden masses of Europe and America, and otherwise managed to wear down an august assembly of American media, from New Yorker editor David Remnick to CNN's Wolf Blitzer to your humble correspondent.

Full article over here The Ahmadinejad Show - By Barbara Slavin | Foreign Policy

 

[mayfair]

He's not as confident or belligerent as before. In fact compared to his previous visits, he appears relatively sensible. Wonder why this change?

 

[Yusuf]

Because he realizes that the power does not lie with him. He is but a face of the real power behind, the Mullahs.

 

[mayfair]

Because he realizes that the power does not lie with him. He is but a face of the real power behind, the Mullahs.

That was always the case and he was aware of it. This is the seventh consecutive year he has visited New York. The past six visits were full of bluster, belligerence, jingoism. Not that it has gone away completely, but it was palpably restrained, toned down. I wonder what has changed? It seems too much to believe that one fine day he woke up and realised that he was never in the control of his country.

I wonder if all those demonstrations, outbursts of anger and the high handed response of the mullahcracy is beginning to take its toll on Iran. It seems like the anti-Shah protests all over again. Wonder if the mullahs realise the irony in the deja vu.

 

[Yusuf]

I think that is the case. Recently A'jad and the Mullahs were at loggerheads. Ajad didnt turn up in his office and so on. His earlier belligerence was probably to earn some brownie points with the Mullahs and increase his own stature among them more than anything else. He has not got anything of that in return. Probably a very depressed Iranian president who is serving his last term.

 

[mayfair]

Persian Spring if and when it comes, may be far more interesting with much farther reaching consequences than the Arab Spring. If US lays off Iran for a while then we may see more upheavals in that country. That said, US may not wish to antagonise Saudis so unlikely to pull back.

 

[The Messiah]

What he said in his UN speech was correct bar a few minor things.

Goras left in droves because they know they are not saints.