Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad interviewed on American programme 60 minutes

From Crooks and Liars a report on the interview as well as copy of the video:

"60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley sat down with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for what can only be termed a surreal interview. Pelley was combative for most of the interview, White House talking points quite literally in hand. Ahmadinejad’s responses were frustratingly equivocal. It sparked a great debate in my home as to why…if Ahmadinejad does want to reach some sort of detente with the rising escalation of war rhetoric, his dancing around direct questions did not truly help him. But then again, Ahmadinejad’s smile also belied an annoyance with Pelley’s attitude, as his final comment indicated:

“This is not Guantanamo Bay. This is not a Baghdad prison. Please, this is not a secret prison in Europe. This is not Abu Ghraib,” Ahmadinejad said. “This is Iran. I’m the president of this country!”
Read more and watch the video

And here is an opinion piece from Salon.com: "Turning Ahmadinejad into public enemy No. 1" by Juan Cole:

"There is, in fact, remarkably little substance to the debates now raging in the United States about Ahmadinejad. His quirky personality, penchant for outrageous one-liners, and combative populism are hardly serious concerns for foreign policy. Taking potshots at a bantam cock of a populist like Ahmadinejad is actually a way of expressing another, deeper anxiety: fear of Iran's rising position as a regional power and its challenge to the American and Israeli status quo. The real reason his visit is controversial is that the American right has decided the United States needs to go to war against Iran. Ahmadinejad is therefore being configured as an enemy head of state."

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