Is America right to demonise President Ahmadinejad of Iran?

Why are we asking this question now?

Because of the furore surrounding the visit of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to New York for the UN general assembly session. He was greeted by headlines in the New York tabloids which screamed "The Evil has Landed" and "Madman Iran Prez".

How did he do?

He set out the policy of Iran's "peaceful" nuclear programme, and responded to questions about his troubling statements concerning his denial of the Holocaust and on seeking the destruction of Israel. But he destroyed his own credibility by asserting, in response to a question, that "in Iran, we don't have homosexuals like in your country".

So was the US right to try to silence him?

Of course not. The president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, undermined his own case for freedom of speech in his insulting introduction in which he described the university's guest as exhibiting "all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator" and expressed the hope that Mr Ahmadinejad would not remain in office.
he personal insults aimed at the Iranian president during his New York visit could also end up increasing his popularity at home, rather than the reverse.

s he convincing on the nuclear issue?

Yes, actually. He noted that Iran is within its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He argued that Iran needs to be self-reliant in producing its own nuclear fuel for energy because it had been let down by several western suppliers since the days of the Shah.

Is the US likely to attack Iran?

Yes...

* Sanctions won't stop Iran from pursuing uranium enrichment

* President Bush has promised that he won't leave office without solving the Iran problem

* US air power can be freed up to strike Iranian targets, despite military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan

No...

* The US is too bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan to free up military resources for such an offensive

* Economic sanctions need time to work, and there can be a diplomatic solution if the UN security council is united

* Iran could harm US interests across the Middle East by retaliating in case of military action

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