Opinion
Giving us the finger
Ronen Bergman
Published: 09.02.10, 16:16
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19 Talkbacks for this article
1. judging on the main article picture
martha manning ,   florida   (02.09.10)
it looks more like they were watching a 3D movie...
2. A munich conference full of lies?
dani   (02.09.10)
hmmm...where have we heard this one before...
3. giving the finger not really you are
reza shah ,   tehran   (02.09.10)
4. Not Quite So.....
(02.09.10)
Dear Dr, You are misinterpreting the Iranian reaction. To them, the only possible way out of the stand off with America and the rest of the world, is to continue to enrich uranium. Why you say?? because, they've seen what happened to Iraq. Iraq was accused of developing WMD's, and agreed to have inspectors visit the suspected sights, and it also agreed to dismantle what little it had left of the Bio weapons it produced during its war with Iran, and subsequently used against its own people. Iraq, fully cooperated with the world, and it still got burned. To the Iranians, had Iraq never completely dismantled its Bio weapons arsenal, it might have never been invaded, for fear of using these bio weapons against allied troops, or worst, selling them on the Black Market. So to the Iranians, the only guarantee they have against invasion, is this program, if they lose it, they lose their independence. The question that you must ask yourself is, what guarntees can the UN and America give Iran, that it will not be invaded, not now, and not 10 years later, like what happened in Iraq. If this guarantee can be given, then this issue will be solved almost immediately. On the other hand, if no such guarantee is given to Iran, the Iranians will take their chances with what ever they have to fend off a possible invasion.
5. ISRAEL ATTENTED THE CONFERENCE ONLY WITH AYALON !!! AND ...
...GOT THE FINGER ! ,   Atilla Karagözoğlu   (02.09.10)
see ! how israel takes care of the conference ! HONESTY !
6. Oh who cares
steve from Raleigh   (02.09.10)
Iran will get up there and scream for the blood of all the Jews in the world. Western liberals who don't even pretend to speak Farsi will claim he was mistranslated. Iran goes home makes more uranium. Flash forward a few years, they give a crude nuke to Hezbollah who use it on Israel. The world cheers, western liberals say Israel started it and deserved it. Obama calls for sanctions. Palestinians resort to cannibalism.
7. #4 - whether Iran's belief or not, it's not true
William ,   Israel   (02.09.10)
Iraq under Saddam did NOT fully cooperate with IAEA officials in dismantling their WMDs, which was evident in the many times they keep gassing the Kurds in the North. Saddam himself admitted to keeping the lie of WMDs going in order to scare Iran who he believed was supporting Shiites in Iraq's South to revolt against his regime. He admitted that it was never for Western ears and didn't think the West would invade for it. The one lesson Iran should take away from this is that pretending to be the neighborhood's psycho will only result in getting committed, no matter how "sane" they may be. In addition, Iraq sought only to control its own territory while Iran supports proxy terrorists all over the region and is supporting Shia groups in rising up against Sunni regimes. So, Saddam was quite correct in his fear....and Iran has already proved itself as a regional bully who wants nukes for mass destruction. If Iran's intentions are peaceful, they missed the mark back in 1979 and continue to.
8. #4 - Iran wants guarantees of no invasion
William ,   Israel   (02.09.10)
No one considered invasion, or even looked cross-eyed at Iran, until it started bullying the region. Once Iran began looking for nukes, everyone speaks of invading Iran. It looks like Iran brought this on themselves, and are working on nukes in order to protect their "right" to violently spread Shia and hurt their enemies. Nobody should have that right, no matter how much oil they have.
9. steve, how did you come to that conclusion?
Persian CAT   (02.10.10)
How can you say, "Iran will get up there and scream for the blood of all the Jews in the world", while Iran is the ancestral homeland for the largest community of indigenous Jews in the ME outside of Israel and the Occupied Territories?!!! Have you heard about even a single Jew being hurt for being Jewish in Iran? Have you heard of a single incident of desecration of any of Iran's several Synagogues and Jewish cemeteries while such incidents occur in Europe all the time, and the Arabs have cleansed their societies of their native Jews? Where do you come up with silly statements like that?
10. look in the mirror
jongo ,   Brisbane australia   (02.10.10)
Iranians continue to lie to world about a nuclear weapons program? Unlike Israel who are still lying about nuclear weapons they've been making for decades. No hypocracy there..
11. Iran is right in line with other Arab countries
masjnoe   (02.10.10)
For all the oil revenues that have flowed into the wealthier Arab countries, the overall state of the Arab world is appalling and Iran is following suit. It does not produce one single manufactured product of sufficient quality to sell on world markets. Iranian productivity is the lowest in the world. Nowhere in Iran is there a single world-class university. Iran scientific achievement has degenerated into a few research programs in the fields of nuclear warfare. There is not a true democracy in Iran. Iran doesn't genuinely respect human rights. Iran doesn't host a responsible media. Iranian society doesn't fully respect the rights of women or minorities, and the government has never accepted public responsibility for its own shortcomings.
12. #1 Martha, do you know where one could buy those cool gogles
Israeli   (02.10.10)
They look like the latest bizzare fashion statement ☺ I had a good chuckle with that photo.. All that is missing now, is a star trek suit and laser gun ;-)
13. #9 Jews live as dhimmis in Iran
Cynthia ,   USA   (02.10.10)
How do you think they feel having a Holocaust denier as President who threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Many have relatives in Israel. That certainly would not make them feel comfortable. The Jewish population of Iran in 1948 was as high as 150,000. It's now estimated at 11,000 to 20,000 people. There have been several incidents of Jews being executed for contact with Israel. Perhaps you can explain why so many Jewish Iranians left their ancestral homeland, their families, businesses, professions to start over in new countries. You keep repeating the same uninformed statements.
14. Time to act!
Hal ,   USA   (02.10.10)
It is aparent that the Iranian govt is moving to cross the nuclear Rubicon. The time for Jaw Jaw is coming to a close. For their own sake, the Iranian people have to stand up collectively and put a stop to their long national nightmare. History tells us that in another time and place people failed to act in a moral and collective manner. Those people then faced an onslaught that devestated their dear country. The death and destruction they edured was avoidable. Time is not on your side Iranian people!
15. #9 Pertsian Cat
Hal ,   USA   (02.10.10)
Cat, the young people of you country are restless and depressed. They know that their futures are bleak, and they know that the rest of the world lives differently. Everything for the A bomb project. Everything for Hezballah and Syria but nothing for them. I think your govt is giving you and your compatriots the finger.
16. To Persian Dog oops cat oops Shiite
Nimrod ,   Baghdad, Iraq   (02.11.10)
yeah you country Iran ( persia) home land of the shiites does discriminate against jews, Arabs, Belouchis, and non shiites, your sunni minority arent even allowed to work in government and you dont and never had the largest Jewish community coz Morocco holds that spot along with Iraq, most Iraqi Jews either migrated to Israel, Africa, Mediterranean states, North , central, or South America, Europe and Australia and some converted into islam so that they could protect their business, belongings and wealth. stop your Shiite propaganda and I think there should be a world stand against you and I support crippling sanctions and I mean crippling. Your very shiite faith preaches hatred and I think for the world to come together we need to create awareness and open peoples minds to what your beliefs and prophecies truly declare.
17. #9 Persian Cat
Lisa   (02.11.10)
your government is ruining your country- it was the greatest country for a time- what have you left? Your president with his crazy nuclear ideas is wasting your money, you can't even process your own oil. He is giving you free potatoes so you have food while your supreme mullah has 9 palaces and hundreds of horses- a so called man of God- . You need to be free to chose your way of life- your careers. Sharia law is killing your people-. I wish the people if Iran good luck- don't give up in your struggle for freedom and equality. You need to get all the people back who have left Iran because they were no longer safe there: scientists, artists, doctors, Christians, Jews....
18. The solution is right in front of us
(02.12.10)
Iran has stated in no uncertain terms that it wants Israel gone. Now Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons. The solution is very obvious: Stop Iran's nuclear program by force.
19. Open letter to the "Munich Young Leaders 2010"
Forum Rauchfrei ,   Berlin, Germany   (03.14.10)
The following open letter was sent to Dr. Ronen Bergman and the other participants of the "Munich Young Leaders Round Table 2010": Dear Dr. Bergman, According to newspaper reports the Körber Foundation invited you to participate in the Munich Young Leaders Round Table 2010 to discuss famine, ecological devastation, conflicts about resources and terrorism. The Körber Foundation emphasized that you are among the “future decision makers” gifted with the “potential to participate in deciding on our world’s destiny within a few years”. You are exactly the person the tobacco industry needs for its network. The cigarette manufacturers’ products kill every other costumer when used as intended. Without your significant assistance it would be much more difficult for the tobacco industry to sell its lethal products against the increasing objections from physicians as well as from social institutions and institutions in the field of child and young people protection. The Körber Foundation generates 40 percent of its earnings through the Hauni AG, which claims a worldwide quasi-monopoly in cigarette production machines. Hence a considerable number of good deeds done by the Körber Foundation stems from selling death The Körber Foundation’s social and political activities primarily aim at creating a tobacco-friendly climate as well as at distracting and diverting the attention from the fatal consequences of tobacco consumption; every year throughout the world more than 5 million people die prematurely and often excrutiatingly from the tobacco drug. Lending your good reputation to the Körber Foundation means helping to promote and to cover up a deathly business policy. You are placing yourself on the same level with an industry, which does not stand the test under ethical aspects. And still another interesting detail has probably not been revealed to you by the Körber Foundation. The founder Kurt Adolf Körber zealously developed and produced weapons for the Nazis utilising 3.000 forced labourers under his technical supervision. “I wanted to win the war, to this aim I worked day and night.” NSDAP-member Kurt Körber said in an interview in the newspaper Die Welt even at the age of 80. To achieve this goal Körber joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) in 1940 while the war was already raging. For all this the “noble” founder never found a word of regret in his whole life. Can it really be in your own interest to have your name mentioned in one breath with that of Kurt Adolf Körber?
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