Anderson Cooper The Journalist

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has shown himself to be a non-credible, self-indulgent leader whose views are at contrast with those of the world.  His outlandish statements and corrupt behavior within his country are the true testament to his leadership.  In many ways he seems a

Sasch Cohen as Borat

real-life version of Sascha Cohen‘s movie character Borat, with one major difference.  Whereas Borat was innocent yet misguided, Ahmadinejad lacks such innocence as seeks only to be heard and respected.  He nonetheless undercuts any such respect being afforded to him by his statements and conduct.

All of this would be for naught if it weren’t for the diplomatic stance taken by President Barack Obama.  Obama has come into office with the belief that all should be heard and engaged with in civil diplomatic discussions.  When dealing with sane, rational leaders, Obama’s stance holds some merit and, although debatable, deserves some respect.

But upcoming talks this week between Iraq, the United States and others will put Obama’s theory to the true test, and in a muddling cross between fantasy and reality, the talks contain a strange intersection.  If Ahmadinejad was purely a blowhard with no true militaristic power behind him, he would be easy to ignore or at least not take seriously.  But, as if to remind the United States and the rest of the world of the legitimacy Ahmadinejad so crassly craves, Iran has been test firing nuclear missiles the past few days, including one with the capability of traveling close to 1,200 miles.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

It places the United States and other countries in a precarious position as it tries to deal with this madman.  Whereas they place a value on sane, sincere talk, they are forced to negotiate with a leader who clings to obscure and senseless thoughts, partly as a way to bring attention to himself.

It is very reminiscent of the workplace violence that has occasionally reared its head, especially within the United States.  A longtime workers feels he is not getting the respect he deserves; even worse, he is getting disrespected for his efforts to gain that respect.  Instead of getting what he feels he deserves, the workers gets just the opposite, until he comes back with a gun and starts shooting, telling his co-workers and supervisors to “ignore me now.”

Ahmadinejad has been clamoring for years for attention and respectability, yet the more he does so, the more the world views him as some sort of loon.  The question now for the Obama administration is how much longer they let his antics go on, and how much creditability do they cede to him? – George Curcio