Understanding Ahmadinejad
Is he really a dictator?
Alex Koren
Issue date: 10/2/07 Section: News/Features
On the nuclear issue, Khamenei has held the same line as Ahmadinejad: both of them have insisted repeatedly that it is Iran's right to enrich uranium. However, in January, Khamenei publicly stated that Ahmadinejad should no longer involve himself in the nuclear issue, making it official that Ahmadinejad is not a major figure in this dispute.
The debate over how America responds to Iran's nuclear program will likely intensify in the coming months and years. During this time, Ahmadinejad will probably continue to make outrageous statements and make flamboyant displays of anti-Semitism, like the Holocaust denial conference that he hosted last December. But Ahmadinejad's character and the Iran nuclear issue are two very separate issues and must be kept distinct in order for the United States to make the best foreign policy decisions possible. Despite all of the media attention that he garners, the man on stage at Columbia last Monday will be of little consequence on matters of policy.
The debate over how America responds to Iran's nuclear program will likely intensify in the coming months and years. During this time, Ahmadinejad will probably continue to make outrageous statements and make flamboyant displays of anti-Semitism, like the Holocaust denial conference that he hosted last December. But Ahmadinejad's character and the Iran nuclear issue are two very separate issues and must be kept distinct in order for the United States to make the best foreign policy decisions possible. Despite all of the media attention that he garners, the man on stage at Columbia last Monday will be of little consequence on matters of policy.
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