Big powers 'going down,' Iran's president says

[Dover]

Source: AP

July 29, 2008, 7:56AM
Big powers 'going down,' Iran's president says


By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's president today blamed the U.S. and other "big powers" for global ills such as nuclear proliferation and AIDS, and accused them of exploiting the U.N. for their own gain and the developing world's loss.

But, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, time was on the poor countries' side.

"The big powers are going down," Ahmadinejad told foreign ministers of the Nonaligned Movement meeting in Tehran. "They have come to the end of their power, and the world is on the verge of entering a new, promising era."

The more than 100-member NAM is made up of such diverse members as communist Cuba, Jamaica and India and depicts itself as bloc-free. But most members share a critical view of the U.S and the developed world in general.

And with Iran assuming the chairmanship of the conference today, Ahmadinejad's keynote speech was tailored to reflect the struggle that some NAM members see themselves in against the world's rich and powerful countries...cont'd




Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/world/5912881.html

[EVDebs]

1. Big talk from someone who'll be left holding an empty bag when the oil runs out

...in a few years. Gonna make 'nicey nice' then ?

[Ghost Dog]

16. Hence the development of homegrown nuclear energy,

don't you think?

[EVDebs]

29. So why not do what So Africa, Libya, and now No Korea have done

So why not do what So Africa, Libya, and now No Korea have done and recognize that a militarized nuke program will only cost the country more money in the long run (where will they store their spent fuel etc.) and further impoverish their nation rather than improve their lot ?

No, bluster is all they'll end up with. And Hillary was right.

[Hydra]

2. If only it were true

US, Russia and China...the three great superpowers. Fear the day that they all get along.

[blue52power]

13. China is the worst of everything - exploitative and autocratic

But China and the US will dominate for the next 100 years. Eventually China will dominate economically though, it is nearly inevitable now that they use slave labor to out compete nations of the West.

They are the worst of all worlds. Rampant exploitation of their own people to further the statist policies of the Chinese Communist Party. At the same time they restrict freedoms of speech, political affiliation and religious practice. We are startng to see just how restrictive they are due to international reporters not being able to link in to thier internet from other coungries. Chinese have blocks on much of free media.

[melody]

19. The EU is aiming to knock them all down

They're just being more circumspect about it.

[BunkerHill24]

3. Ahmadinejad...shut up fool!

[jbane]

6. Word!!!

[HEyHEY]

4. Besides the aids remark

"blamed the U.S. and other "big powers" for global ills such as nuclear proliferation and AIDS, and accused them of exploiting the U.N. for their own gain and the developing world's loss."

Ya must admit there is a good argument there....

However, something about the leader of a religiously repressive country talking about a promising era doesn't wash.

[Indenturedebtor]

5. Seriously. What does he think this is? Wrestlemania?

So many idiots leading big countries right now :eyes:

[bdamomma]

7. that is very true, all of them should go to the mountaintop and fight it out between

themselves and leave us out of it.

[jbane]

8. Yea, death to the infadels and all that other crappola....

I'll be glad when the Persians band together and overcome this ridiculous Theocracy that
has made them a second rate blow-hard nation. They are a traditional friend of the U.S., have one
of the oldest and richest (culturally) societies on Earth and could be a real force for good in the world. The movie Persepolis was great and it gives me some hope for them.

[High Plains]

9. Ya mean back in the good old days of the Shah?

After their "friends" in the CIA overthrew their elected government?

Blowback is a bitch, ain't it?

[BrightVictor]

10. Because when I think responisble governance...

I think the non-aligned movement. :eyes:

[Dover]

11. Tehran seeks a new alignment

Tehran seeks a new alignment
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi

This week's 15th ministerial summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran represents an excellent opportunity for the developing world to sound its sirens about the mismanagement of the global order and to be "more proactive", as suggested by United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, who has praised NAM as the "voice of a new and more powerful South". <1>

In the context of a slowing world economy, rising economic woes for many NAM member states <2>, particularly those in the lowest bracket known as the least-developed countries, adversely affected by the double blows of soaring energy and food prices, it is abundantly clear that in the full range of issues on NAM's plate, the bread and butter issues of economic development cannot, and
should not, take a back seat to other issues such as peace, security, human rights and cultural diversity.

Unfortunately, NAM is ill-equipped to tackle economic issues and in the post-Cold War milieu has proved more apt in addressing political, that is, war and peace, issues, given NAM's hopeless effort to revitalize the UN's economic arm, the Economic and Social Council, as the main venue for promoting its economic agenda.

Yet, such UN-focused approaches to economic development may be a hope against hope and NAM desperately needs a new and bold initiative on the economic front, otherwise its legitimacy may soon be questioned by its constituents, who happen to be the majority of world's population inhabiting the "Third World"...cont'd

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JG29Ak01.html

[wvbygod]

12. And this nutcase wants nukes?

Wonder if he will get them?

[BeatleBoot]

14. Ahmahandjob is a clown

[fascisthunter]

15. well, the US is going down and its our own damn fault

[melody]

18. The US isn't "going down" and what has happened isn't "our own fault"

BushCo has been brilliant in manipulating people into blaming the American people (how else do you get people
to hate your chief victim?) but we didn't do anything. We're as helpless as any other group of people.

The global might of the US may be "going down" but our people will always be here.

Let's hope there is enough global power to keep the other global thugs like Ahmadinejad "down".

[fascisthunter]

20. ah..... "thug"... where in the media have I heard that before?

like I said, it is our (Americans) fault. Sure, Bush gets most of the blame, but we the citizens allowed it to happen. And you have been already manipulated into beliving we have to keep the likes of Ahmadinejad "down". That's pure propaganda....

More American arrogance based on BS corporate media propaganda and the Bush Administration itself. And you accuse me of being manipulated into blaming the victim....? I'm not a victim, but if you want to call yourself one, go right ahead...


Oh and don't try to twist my post as anything more than what I said. I do not give Bush and his fascist brigade a pass....

You want to believe the BS about Iran, go for it....

[melody]

21. Oh, PLEASE

YOU have fallen for the bullshit propaganda that Americans have ANY control over our situation. Do some reading about
the Bush crime family (say, 20 years worth) and then come back to tell me how much real control ANY of us have.

You choose to be a liberal who hates his country. I love mine for what it has been and what it can be.

Anyone who heads a country where they execute 12 year old girls who are raped by their brothers for being "unclean", is
a thug. End of story. Just because our leader is a monster doesn't mean "theirs" is not.

Yeah, I use the word "thug" -- boy, that's a red flag right there. Let's see, who called the Iranian President a "thug"
not long ago .... hm, could it be Keith Olbermann.

[fascisthunter]

22. Oh Melody... America as a Whole is to Blame... wanna disagree with that?

then you are in denial. Many tried to prevent what happened, but too many weak kneed and compromised fools were too big of a hurdle for us.

As for you calling "I'm-a-dinner-jacket" a "thug" (woooo, scary....!!!!!) and saying we need to do something about Iran, you are just perpetuating the lies and hype, even when we know the neo-nut brigade wants to go to pre-emptively strike them...tsk tsk. Sad you don't already realize this since we both come her to DU. Your borrowed talking points have been destroyed too many times to count.

We don't need to do shit about Iran... we need diplomacy and reason, not bullshit hyperbole and name calling to amp up the idiotic rhetoric that got us into Iraq by the same sociopaths fools.

PS - I could give two shits if a corporate media pundit says it too. It doesn't carry much weight with me, I can think for myself, thank you very much. Rush Limbaugh says it too I'm sure, why not quote him while you are at it? Want another unnecessary pre-emptive war!? How'd Iraq turn out, Melody? I know for a FACT that the US government and it's corporate media is hyping the threat of Iran. Do a search on DU, or did you ignore all those posts over the past year or so that have already debunked them as a major threat? You must have, because if you took the time to actually research and debate this, you would have learned long ago, that your meme is BS.

[melody]

23. You're in denial

You want to believe you're in control. You're not.

But I also know when to not ram my head into a wall thus welcome to my ignore list.

[fascisthunter]

24. buh bye Melody

[Megahurtz]

27. It's not MY fault,

and I doubt that it's yours either! :hi:

[fascisthunter]

28. oh you...you, you knew what I meant

:P

[bluesmail]

17. I have trouble believing the World Powers are going down thingy.

[Megahurtz]

25. I certainly hope he's right!

:hide:

[NeedleCast]

26. Hi, my name is Ahmadinejad and I have an inferiority complex

Been while since Ahmadinejad has said anything stupid, good to see he's rushing back to the top of the crazy list.