As usual, Joel Rosenberg thoroughly analyzes and understands what’s really going on in the Middle East… and he understands the true threats. We need to understand same. Not only is our nation threatened, but lives worldwide without Christ need hope in the face of this threat.
Following entry in its entirety from Joel Rosenberg’s weblog, see more here: http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/:
MEDIA UPDATE: Joel won’t be on the Glenn Beck Show on Thursday. Segment may be rescheduled for next week.
First impressions of President Ahmadinejad’s speech:
- His tone was low-key, quiet, deceitfully tame — it was clear he didn’t want to make splashy, provocative headlines this time around.
- The speech was aimed at temporarily mollifying critics (or at least not giving them fresh ammunition against him), and buying time so the West doesn’t act decisively and Iran can finish building nuclear weapons without interference.
- It was dangerous precisely because this strategy is likely to work.
- Ahmadinejad repeatedly denounced Israel and the Jewish people as evil, “inhuman,” and conspirators dominating the world, as was expected.
- Yet in his 35-minute remarks he seemed to be making a calculated effort to appear somewhat reasonable (at least in contrast to Libyan leader Qaddafi and his 96 minute rant, which began with him being introduced as “the King of kings”) — he didn’t deny the Holocaust, he didn’t call for the annihilation of the U.S. and Israel or say that both countries were doomed and “nearing the end of the road” as he did in 2008.
- Noteworthy was that he didn’t end his address with a prayer to Allah asking him to hasten the coming of the Islamic Messiah, known as the “Twelfth Imam,” or the “Mahdi,” or the “just and promised One” as he did in 2005 and 2006.
- Nor did he open the speech by praying for the Allah to hasten the coming of the Islamic messiah, as he did in 2007.
- That said, Ahmadinejad’s address contained more references to the coming of the Mahdi than any of the others, including his 2008 speech which did build on this theme. He referred at least twice to a Shia Islamic eschatological notion of “entezar.” This is the capacity for a Shia Muslim to wait patiently for the coming of the Islamic Messiah. Once the transcript is available, I’ll point out these references more clearly.
- He did try to make the claim that Iran’s elections last summer were been free, fair and “glorious” — a lie so outrageous it would be laughable if so many thousands of Iranians hadn’t been arrested, tortured and killed.
- One shrewd proposal Ahmadinejad made: he indicated in his speech and in an interview with the Washington Post and Newsweek that Iran wants to buy from the West nuclear materials for medical purposes. “These nuclear materials we are seeking to purchase are for medicinal purposes. . . . It is a humanitarian issue,” Ahmadinejad told the Post. “I think this is a very solid proposal which gives a good opportunity for a start” to build trust between the two countries and “engage in cooperation.” The Post notes that “nuclear research reactors are used to create radioactive isotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The Iranian president said that about 20 medical products are created at a reactor in Tehran but that more fuel is needed.”
- “Iran’s medical reactor was supplied by the United States during the shah’s rule,” reports the Post. “But according to David Albright, a former weapons inspector who is president of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, Iran received additional uranium only from Argentina after the 1979 revolution. Argentina cut off those supplies sometime in the 1980s. Albright said Iran’s latest move is ‘clever’ because there is ‘implied blackmail’ behind the idea. If the material is not supplied, Iran could announce that it has no choice but to make the material, which is nearly 20 percent enriched; the material Iran is now producing is 3 to 5 percent enriched and suitable only for energy purposes. Allowing Iran to purchase the new material would require a waiver of international sanctions. While weapons-grade material is more than 90 percent enriched, making material for the medical reactor could put Iran on the next step to reaching that level.”
- Full Washington Post interview with Ahmadinejad.
- Ahmadinejad speech reflected the fact that he knows he’s walking a fine line. He desperately wants to stay true to his End Times theology and prepare the world for the coming of the Mahdi, but he also needs to keep the world community from unifying to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
- “Delegations from Argentina, Australia, Britain, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand and the United States left the room as Ahmadinejad began to rail against Israel, a European source said.”
- The Canadians — God bless them — were the first to leave.
- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was not in New York for the U.N. meetings told reporters: “It is unfitting that somebody like that would be giving those kinds of remarks before the United Nations General Assembly. . . .There are times when things are being said in this world that it is important that countries that have a moral compass stand up, make their views known and our absence there will speak volumes about how Canada feels about the declarations of President Ahmadinejad….President Ahmadinejad has said things, particularly about the state of Israel, the Jewish people and the Holocaust, that are absolutely repugnant…
- That said, I suspect Ahmadinejad’s attempt to appear “reasonable” enough to most U.N. leaders to avoid draconian economic sanctions just may work.
- Though I pray I’m wrong, I don’t expect the West to take the decisive action necessary to stop Iran from getting the Bomb.
- That means that, humanly speaking, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu may be the only world leader who understands the depth and magnitude of this threat and may be willing to do something to save not just his country but the world from the apocalyptic, genocidal death cult that currently runs Iran.
- Please pray for wisdom for world leaders as they meet at the U.N. this week. Please pray for the Lord to change Ahmadinejad’s heart, and that of the Ayatollah Khamenei. Please also pray for wisdom and guidance for Prime Minister Netanyahu as he addresses the U.N. today and as he seeks to build support for action against Iran.
- Time is running short.
Above entry in its entirety from from Joel C. Rosenberg: http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/analysis-ahmadinejads-speech-deceitfully-tame/
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