I prefer to write about things happening in our town or of things that will affect our town, but sometimes I have to dabble into a more global forum. And this week was rich in material.
Let’s start with an overview of that bastion of truth and honesty, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his presentation at Columbia University.
The event at Columbia got off to a roaring start when the university president, Lee C. Bollinger, was caustic in his introduction of Ahmadinejad. While I might agree with Bollinger’s point of view, timing is everything and he timed his remarks poorly, in my opinion.
Having said that, let’s delve into Ahmadinejad’s comments.
He was eager to bash the United States, using science as his weapon of choice. While stating that "science is the light, and scientists must be pure and pious," he went on to pontificate that "today, we see that certain researchers and scientists are still hiding the truth from the people...bullying powers are misusing many scholars and scientists in different fields with the purpose of stripping nations of their wealth." Hmmm, "bullying powers." Wonder who he means? Having a grasp of all things just, he went on to say that these bullies create "non-existent enemies" to create an "insecure atmosphere." Apparently the towers coming down on Sept. 11 were not enough to create an insecure atmosphere.
Another hot topic on his agenda was the development of nuclear energy for his country. Iran houses the second-largest pool of untapped petroleum in the world, an estimated 125.8 billion barrels, according to Michael T. Klare, a Five Colleges professor of Peace and World Security Studies, and author of Resource Wars and Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Petroleum Dependency. Only Saudi Arabia, with an estimated 260 billion barrels, possesses more. I’m not a rocket scientist, but isn’t oil a primary source of fuel? And if they have a huge supply of oil, why do they need to manufacture nuclear power?
Ahmadinejad didn’t miss the opportunity to use the Holocaust, either — a "historical event, if it is a reality" is how he phrased it — as a segue into the plight of the Palestinians.
