Tuesday September 25, 2007

I've Been Thinking:

When Columbia University President Lee Bollinger introduced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he called his guest speaker "a petty and cruel dictator."
Personally, I would have called him a thug.
But that aside, why? Why invite the Iranian leader to speak and then insult him?

Bollinger's objective was to make it clear that he did not support Iranian policy. The problem is that by that point, Bollinger's comments had no impact.
No impact on the students, no impact on the faculty none on the citizens of the United States and certainly no impact on the Muslim world.

The Muslim world saw this event as a vital and significant moral victory.
Certain elements within the Muslim world consider the phrase "cruel dictator" a badge of honor.
It is certainly a phrase the majority of the Muslim world understands.
After the fall of Saddam a significant number of Iraqis yearned for his return.
After Arafat's death Palestinians still yearn for his leadership.
In order to maintain their positions in most parts of the Muslim world leaders purposefully carry out acts of unbridled cruelty and intentionally perpetrate horrific human rights. It gives them staying power and bragging rights, it is an essential character trait of these rulers.

By telling the truth the unwitting, uncomprehending, Bollinger heaped praise upon his guest.

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