[New York Sun] David Harris - The Iranian president's recent visits to Venezuela, Ecuador, and Nicaragua all underscore Iran's increasingly close contact with Latin America. Iran's ambitions are, in fact, global, with Ahmadinejad visiting countries where the current leaders were elected on platforms that included heavy doses of anti-Americanism. Ahmadinejad has said, "We should make our presence felt in different parts of the world to promote our values." Exactly which values? Nuclear weapons development? Suppression of human rights? Calls for destruction of another UN-member state? Holocaust denial? Support for terrorism? Iran has gained a foothold in the Western Hemisphere and is seeking to expand its reach. We and our regional friends must seek to ensure that a bad situation does not become worse. The writer is executive director of the American Jewish Committee.
2007-01-26 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive