Congratulations From Mahmoud
Earlier today, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad congratulated Barack Obama on his victory:
Iran sees Obama's victory as a triumph over the unpopular policies of U.S. President George W. Bush, who repeatedly clashed with Iranian leaders while in office over Iran's nuclear program and its opposition to the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Ahmadinejad went on in his Thursday message to say that "nations of the world" expect changes from Obama -- mostly that he will change current U.S. foreign policy.
That policy, Ahmadinejad claimed, was "based on warmongering, occupation, bullying, deception and humiliation, as well as discrimination and unfair relations" and has led to "hatred of all nations and majority of governments toward the U.S. leaders."
Ahmadinejad also said that Obama is expected to replace such a policy with "an approach based on justice and respect, as well as lack of intervention in the affairs of others."Iranians will welcome such changes, Ahmadinejad added.
I'll bet! Meanwhile, Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who may soon be Prime Minister and is no hard-liner, warned against the kind of unconstrained dialogue with Iran's leaders that Obama promised during the campaign:
In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a contender for prime minister in her country's elections, warned against any dialogue with Iran -- a first sign of Israeli disagreement with the incoming U.S. administration.
"Dialogue at this time is liable to broadcast weakness," cautioned Livni, who is head of the governing Kadima Party. "I think early dialogue at a time when it appears to Iran that the world has given up on sanctions could be problematic."
Obama will have to do something to distinguish his foreign policy from President Bush's, and the change will have to be dovish; his followers will demand that much, at least. But how to do that without strengthening and emboldening our enemies will be a tricky problem.
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