CAIR’s Ray Takeyh got op-ed space in the Boston Globe to argue that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s calls to “wipe Israel off the map” are nothing more than schoolyard boasting:
What causes the greatest alarm in capitals around the world is Ahmadinejad’s persistent calls for Israel to be “wiped off the map.” Despite the disavowal of Iran’s diplomats, such incendiary rhetoric – frequently edging toward anti-Semitism – has been the mainstay of the theocratic regime’s discourse. However, such rhetoric conceals more than it reveals. Tehran does not seek eradication of Israel, but sees such slogans as a means of gaining the acclaim of the Arab street. It is the tragedy of the Middle East today that such despicable rhetoric is a pathway to political popularity.
Ahmadinejad’s presidency has, in fact, had a measurable impact on life in the Islamic Republic. An inordinately suspicious regime has been busy closing down nongovernmental organizations, suppressing civil-society groups, and arresting Iranian-Americans on spurious charges of espionage. Yet Iran’s core foreign policy objectives have not changed, despite the rise of Ahmadinejad and his paranoid style of politics.
Takeyh’s wrong on two points.
• Mere rhetoric doesn’t explain why every Iranian leader since Khomeini has used proxies like Hezbollah and others against Israel and the West.
• Why does Takeyh believe Ahmadinejad will treat Israelis any better than his own citizens?
