[New York Post ] Amir Taheri - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assumes that once George W. Bush is out of the White House, the U.S. will accept a nuclear-armed Iran as a "regional superpower" in the Middle East. He thinks the dominant mood in the U.S., and the West in general, is one of pre-emptive surrender. Ahmadinejad has castigated his predecessor Muhammad Khatami for accepting suspension of Iran's uranium program in 2003. Khatami says he did so because at the time, shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, he feared that the Americans might march on Tehran as well. As soon as that fear was gone, the program was resumed at an even faster pace. Ahmadinejad has already promised anti-American regimes in Latin America "full support and protection" against the "Great Satan" in Washington. Iran is laying the foundations for an armaments industry in Venezuela, and one day the Islamic Republic may extend its nuclear umbrella to Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador and, why not, even Cuba. The Islamic Republic has been at war against the U.S. and the international system it leads for almost 30 years. As in all wars there are three ways to end this one: surrender, make a deal, or win.
2008-06-17 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive