[NYTr] Ahmadinejad NEWSWEEK Op-Ed: The danger of unilateralism - for the US and the world

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

[Ahmadinejad in his less-florid mode, sounding more reasonable and
educated thatn George W. Bush ever has. It's not clear who translated
this piece, but it is in line with recent statements by other Islamic
Republic leaders. It would seem that the INE on Iran, which has so
devastated the Bush Reich, has been followed by a united front on the
part of Iran, somewhat in contradiction to the (exaggerated but
nevertheless interesting) Christian Science Monitor op-ed by Nasr and
Tekeyh: "NIE on Iran Major Blow to Bush, But Maybe Also to
Ahmadinejad," Dec 14, 2007 at 
http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20071210/072927.html

The Iranians do have about 2,300 years of wisdom and practical
experience over the USA. Kudos to Newsweek for publishing this. 
-NY Transfer]


Newsweek - Dec 14, 2007
http://www.newsweek.com/id/77945

Op-Ed:

An Arrogant Approach

The danger of unilateralism -- for the United States and the world

By Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

In the name of God the compassionate, the merciful: 

The international community has moved away from peace, security and
justice due to the mismanagement of some of its actors. Yet the
expectation of a world marked by security and tranquillity endures.

After the end of the cold war and the regional confrontations emanating
from bipolar competition, many hoped there would be a beautiful spring
in international relations, as a multilateral system emerged that
offered equal opportunities to all members of the international
community. It was hoped that the new world would enable all nations, in
light of universally accepted humane norms and mutual respect, to
advance together, eradicate poverty and injustice, and set aside bitter
memories of the past that were nothing but war, bloodshed, violence and
tension.

Those hopes were dashed by the United States and its leaders, who
adopted a new and aggressive approach. Their assertion of unchallenged
global leadership -- the inability of the international community and
the United Nations to challenge it -- frustrated hopes for a stable and
peaceful world. Instead, once again we witness the re-emergence of a
system that produced nothing but tension and insecurity.

"Absolute unilateralism" by the United States is the salient element of
the new system adopted by the U.S. government toward world development.
It has prevented the American people from playing their proper role in
eliminating tyranny and violence and in helping bring peace, justice
and security. Why should the prestige of the great American people be
tarnished by the selfish and bullying ambitions of their government,
whose negative role is clearly visible in many current conflicts,
especially in the Middle East?

The worst example of this approach was the U.S. attack on Iraq and its
catastrophic consequences. What was the crime of the 700,000 Iraqis,
mostly women and children, who have died since, or of the many more
that have been disabled, injured and displaced? On the basis of what
international norms and rules can the U.S. government justify its
actions over the past four and a half years there? Who should be held
accountable for the destruction and oppression of the Iraqi people?

The contradictory policies of the U.S. government make it difficult to
believe in its good intentions. The United States supported the
despotic regime of Saddam Hussein—a regime that imposed a war on Iran
for eight long years with U.S. support, costing both nations hundreds
of thousands of lives. Saddam's regime attacked Iran and even its own
people with chemical weapons supplied by the United States and
Europe.?It is one of the bitter ironies of our time that after openly
supporting the heinous regime, America then attacked Iraq under the
pretext of eliminating its weapons of mass destruction, shed the blood
of hundred of thousands, and sold this invasion as a victory to the
world as well as its own citizens.

As the result of its mismanagement of the crisis and the continuation
of its hegemonic and unilateral policies, the United States now faces a
deadlock in Iraq. As long as this approach persists, there will not be
a clear path out of the present problems there, which mainly grip the
innocent Iraqi people.

Only reasonable methods -- like adopting an exit plan, transferring
power to the Iraqi government, avoiding divisive policies toward Iraqi
groups, accepting the blame and ceasing to point the finger at others—
will allow the United States to extricate itself from its predicament.
The people of Iraq, despite their religious and ethnic differences,
have lived together and next to Iranians peacefully for centuries. If
the shadow of occupation were lifted from Iraq, they would be able to
guide their country toward security, stability and progress.

The heavy shadow of America's unilateralism is also visible on the
unresolved question of Palestine, which is one of the gravest tragedies
of the 20th and 21st centuries. The U.S. government has succumbed to
the demands of the Zionists and the Zionist regime. This is a lethal
ailment that afflicts U.S. administrations. The American people do not
like to see their leaders fall captive to the Zionist network. Surely
the American people would prefer U.S.-inspired policies to those
perpetrated by the Zionists. No fair-minded American is happy with the
present situation. Regrettably, despite the objections of some of
America's elite, personal and political interests—especially those of
the present administration—have prevented any action to counter this
fatal disease. So long as this situation persists, we will see tyranny
and injustice in the region. The U.S. government will bear the heavy
responsibility for the Zionist regime's massacre of Palestinian women
and children in their homes and territory.

Ever since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the attitude and the
approach of the U.S. government toward Iran has also been coercive and
unilateralist. America's policy toward Iran's peaceful nuclear program
is the most important aspect of this approach. Iran is a member of the
International Atomic Energy Agency and a signatory of the Nuclear
NonProliferation Treaty. It therefore has the right to nuclear fuel
cycle technology for peaceful purposes. Yet America, which itself
produces nuclear fuel and has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons, has
opposed the production of nuclear fuel by Iran for peaceful purposes
and under the IAEA inspection. Indeed, the United States has tried to
politicize the Iranian nuclear issue and has enticed and threatened
other countries into exerting pressure on Iran. How is it that the same
country that used the first atomic bomb, killing hundreds of thousands
of innocent people, and that is presently spending billions of dollars
for the production and testing of the most advanced and destructive
armaments, behaves this way toward Iran's peaceful nuclear program? The
IAEA has repeatedly declared that there is no evidence that Iran has
diverted its nuclear program to military ends, and the Islamic Republic
has allowed free access to the Agency's inspectors.

Iran's nuclear program is supported by the entire Iranian nation, at
home and abroad. Opposition to this peaceful program will alienate the
Iranian people and strengthen their determination to continue it and to
reject the illegitimate and illegal demands of the U.S. government.

Resorting to outdated policies such as making threats and imposing
sanctions will only lead to more lost opportunities. America's current
policies will only increase the hatred of nations toward its
administration and further isolate its regime from the world.
Friendship with the Iranian people and with all people of the world is
a major asset that the U.S. government has deprived itself of.

I think the common denominator of all these problems is distance from
religious values, ethics and spirituality. With such distance from
ethical and spiritual values, human dignity, love and kindness—which
are the common elements of all great Abrahamic religions—and humanity's
moral, material and civic achievements have been jeopardized. The best
way to avoid the deadlock is to emphasize common values and the natural
desire of all human beings for perfection, benevolence, justice,
brotherhood and kindness. These values can help us find solutions to
all problems facing humanity. Global, sustainable peace and security
will be realized only through the establishment of true justice and
brotherhood. How can we expect to reach sustainable peace and security
by humiliating others and acting in ways that depart from ethical and
spiritual values?

[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is president of Iran.]