2008 Woodie Awards
Iranian President Visits the West
Met with Outrage at Columbia University in New York City
By Emily Trudell
10/1/07 - News
When Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began his visit to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York last Monday, he was met with protesters and dissenting Americans.
Ahmadinejad began his visit with a controversial two-hour speech to the students at Columbia University, charging the United States with promoting terrorist behavior and criticizing the US as hypocrites for attempting to hinder Iran's nuclear program.
"We are a peace-loving nation… We do not believe in nuclear weapons. Period," said the president during the Columbia speech.
President Ahmadinejad has been known in the past to openly deny the occurrence of the Holocaust during World War II and denounce the country of Israel as a nation of "ethnic discrimination" and "usurpation."
The scheduled UN talks for this week highlighted topics ranging from human rights, global climate change, and, most notably, the suspicions of some nations that Iran has been working on creating a nuclear arsenal program.
In his speech to the other delegates, Ahmadinejad further expressed his disdain for the creation of the Israeli state and his firm conviction that the country of Iran will not recognize Israel as a separate nation, instead calling it an "illegal Zionist regime."
Ahmadinejad then went on to criticize the UN Security Council for its nuclear sanctions on Iran, stressing that the country had no intentions of creating dangerous weapons with its uranium enrichment program and that its programs are perfectly legal and safe. The President also declared that the International Atomic Energy Agency would be monitoring Iran's nuclear energy progress.
"How long should the people of the world live with the nightmare of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons?" reasoned Ahmadinejad. While he did not explicitly criticize the United States or call it by name, Ahmadinejad expressed his disrespect for US overseas policy.
"Some [nations] seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats," argued the Iranian leader. In contrast, United States President George W. Bush spent his time at the podium addressing such issues as literacy, poverty and the fight for democracy in the world. Surprisingly, Bush did not mention the Iraq war in his speech, and focused on current human rights situations. However, the President also denounced the cruelty of the world's dictators, citing North Korea, Syria and Iran as examples of brutal governmental leadership.
During his visit, Ahmadinejad expressed his interest in paying respects for the September 11th, 2001 tragedy by visiting ground zero. New York police denied this request early last week, asserting that the president would not be allowed anywhere near the location. Aside from local restrictions, Ahmadinejad was confined to a 25-mile radius of Columbus Circle in Manhattan under international law.
Ahmadinejad began his visit with a controversial two-hour speech to the students at Columbia University, charging the United States with promoting terrorist behavior and criticizing the US as hypocrites for attempting to hinder Iran's nuclear program.
"We are a peace-loving nation… We do not believe in nuclear weapons. Period," said the president during the Columbia speech.
President Ahmadinejad has been known in the past to openly deny the occurrence of the Holocaust during World War II and denounce the country of Israel as a nation of "ethnic discrimination" and "usurpation."
The scheduled UN talks for this week highlighted topics ranging from human rights, global climate change, and, most notably, the suspicions of some nations that Iran has been working on creating a nuclear arsenal program.
In his speech to the other delegates, Ahmadinejad further expressed his disdain for the creation of the Israeli state and his firm conviction that the country of Iran will not recognize Israel as a separate nation, instead calling it an "illegal Zionist regime."
Ahmadinejad then went on to criticize the UN Security Council for its nuclear sanctions on Iran, stressing that the country had no intentions of creating dangerous weapons with its uranium enrichment program and that its programs are perfectly legal and safe. The President also declared that the International Atomic Energy Agency would be monitoring Iran's nuclear energy progress.
"How long should the people of the world live with the nightmare of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons?" reasoned Ahmadinejad. While he did not explicitly criticize the United States or call it by name, Ahmadinejad expressed his disrespect for US overseas policy.
"Some [nations] seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats," argued the Iranian leader. In contrast, United States President George W. Bush spent his time at the podium addressing such issues as literacy, poverty and the fight for democracy in the world. Surprisingly, Bush did not mention the Iraq war in his speech, and focused on current human rights situations. However, the President also denounced the cruelty of the world's dictators, citing North Korea, Syria and Iran as examples of brutal governmental leadership.
During his visit, Ahmadinejad expressed his interest in paying respects for the September 11th, 2001 tragedy by visiting ground zero. New York police denied this request early last week, asserting that the president would not be allowed anywhere near the location. Aside from local restrictions, Ahmadinejad was confined to a 25-mile radius of Columbus Circle in Manhattan under international law.
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