Prince of Persia

If (Hitler) were willing to engage in a debate and a discussion, to be challenged by Columbia students and faculty, we would certainly run it.” – John Coatsworth, dean of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. \n While Hitler may not be available for any speaking engagements, the university did decide to allow Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak, angering many who say it legitimizes or appeases the Islamic republic’s president.\n But it did not legitimatize him. Most likely it did quite the opposite. It pressed a man who does not normally have to face such adverse questions. It allowed the American public to listen to a man they hear a lot about, but almost never get to see. He answered his questions smoothly with the political savvy most politicians would kill for. But anyone with the ability to look up the basic facts about Iran will also be able to see right through him.\n Many protested the event, and one has to have a lot of sympathy for their cause, but Iran does not begin and end with Ahmadinejad. He is, for the most part, an elected talking head with mediocre amounts of domestic and foreign policy power. The real power lays on the shoulders of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the religious and civil leader of Iran – a prime example of why religion and government should stay as far apart as possible. In attacking Ahmadinejad, we unfortunately avoid getting to the root of the problem, which lies far away from him. \n Ahmadinejad is relatively unpopular in his own country for his failing economic policies. He was elected in large part due to his economic populism, promising to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. A fine idea, but by his own admission, he knows nothing of economics and, looking at Iran’s economy, it shows. The unemployment rate in Iran is officially 10 percent, but many experts suspect it is twice as high. Inflation is also going up and, according to The Economist, could be as high as 25 percent.\n In all the noise over Iran and Ahmadinejad, keep in mind that there is hope. Iran’s government may be run by theocratic old men, but the future belongs to its youth. Two-thirds of the country is below 30 years of age and it is with them that America must build its diplomatic ties and goodwill. Many experts state that the young population does not relate to the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and wants desperately to advance beyond it. There are an estimated 75,000 bloggers in Iran, a stunning number when one considers the risk of living in a country that routinely cracks down on free speech. \n One hopes it is the youth of Iran that benefits most from Ahmadinejad’s speech and interrogation at Columbia University. Although no one is sure just how much of it they will see, it is imperative that they witness that we are a nation that not only allows freedom of speech but encourages it. By allowing Ahmadinejad to speak at Columbia we did not show our weakness but instead, our greatest strength.