So, you probably all saw this:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5371437,00.html
Iran is simply providing ammunition for those in Israel and the West who will use this to further their case for strikes or war against the 'nuclear threat' Iran now (doesn't actually yet) pose, and at the end of the day has made it more likely that a whole lot of innocent people are going to get killed.
On the other hand, it would seem that the new leadership does enjoy considerable popular support. If this is the case, what should be done about it? Can anything be realistically be done that doesn't involve armed interference?
Another thing to note is that the renewed aggression in Iran is apparently being reflected in the Israel/Palestine situation, which after a few months of very positive looking developments, has now seen it's first serious Palestinian suicide bomber, notably just hours after Ahmadinejad's speech. Iran is known to heavily support Hamas and these other groups and it now seems they may now be acting out the wishes of Iran rather than their local populous. If this is the case, it places Iran on even weaker ground. As much as I dislike Israel and it's policies, killing all Israelis and 'wiping Israel from the map' is not on.
What should the west do?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5371437,00.html
Despite what you probably think of my Politics, I do not have much love for Iran. This reversion to fairly extreme state Islamism (you may have noticed other things like Western films and haircuts being shunned by the leadership, and even banned in some places) is non-progressive and essentially just a backwards force in the world. (Much like George Bush!)Iran Leader Calls for Israel's Destruction
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Wednesday that Israel is a ``disgraceful blot'' that should be ``wiped off the map'' - fiery words that Washington said underscores its concern over Iran's nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad's speech to thousands of students at a ``World without Zionism'' conference set a hard-line foreign policy course sharply at odds with that of his moderate predecessor, echoing the sentiments of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution.
The United States said Ahmadinejad's remarks show that Washington's fears about Iran's nuclear program are accurate.
``I think it reconfirms what we have been saying about the regime in Iran,'' White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington. ``It underscores the concerns we have about Iran's nuclear intentions.''
Ahmadinejad also condemned Iran's neighbors which seek to break new ground in their relations with Israel. ``Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury,'' state-run television quoted him as saying.
Relations between Israel and several Persian Gulf states have been thawing amid Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in September. Bahrain announced in September it was ending a decades-old law banning trade ties with Israel. In October, Qatar said it was donating $6 million to help build a soccer stadium for a mixed Arab-Jewish team, the first such financial assistance by an Arab state for any town inside Israel.
Israel has been at the forefront of nations calling for an end to Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and many others in the West say is aimed at acquiring weapons of mass destruction. Iran insists the program is for generating electricity.
Referring to Palestinian suicide bomb attacks in Israel, Ahmadinejad said: ``there is no doubt that the new wave in Palestine will soon wipe off this disgraceful blot from the face of the Islamic world.''
Ahmadinejad's speech came hours before a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in the Israeli town of Hadera, killing five people. Iran aids several militant Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with support and training through proxies among Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas.
``Ahmadinejad has clearly declared the doctrine of his government,'' said Mohammad Sadeq Hosseini, an expert on Middle Eastern affairs. ``He is returning Iran to the revolutionary goals it was pursuing in the 1980s.'' (cut)
Iran is simply providing ammunition for those in Israel and the West who will use this to further their case for strikes or war against the 'nuclear threat' Iran now (doesn't actually yet) pose, and at the end of the day has made it more likely that a whole lot of innocent people are going to get killed.
On the other hand, it would seem that the new leadership does enjoy considerable popular support. If this is the case, what should be done about it? Can anything be realistically be done that doesn't involve armed interference?
Another thing to note is that the renewed aggression in Iran is apparently being reflected in the Israel/Palestine situation, which after a few months of very positive looking developments, has now seen it's first serious Palestinian suicide bomber, notably just hours after Ahmadinejad's speech. Iran is known to heavily support Hamas and these other groups and it now seems they may now be acting out the wishes of Iran rather than their local populous. If this is the case, it places Iran on even weaker ground. As much as I dislike Israel and it's policies, killing all Israelis and 'wiping Israel from the map' is not on.
What should the west do?