Does the phrase, ‘It took Nixon to go to China’ apply to the case of President Barack Obama and the nation of Iran? In this latest in a series of translations we’ve been doing on reaction to President Obama’s outstretched hand to Iran, the editorial board of France’s Le Monde makes the case that like Nixon – Obama might be just the man for the task.
The Le Monde editorial says in part:
“It’s been thirty years since the spectacular hostage-taking at the American Embassy in Tehran which cemented the role of Iran as Washington’s enemy in the Middle East. American diplomacy seems poised to take a great turn, breaking with the Bush team’s 2002 decision to classify Iran as part of an ‘Axis of Evil,’ despite efforts undertaken by Tehran against the Taliban in Afghanistan. … This complete reversal, if confirmed, suggests a memorable precedent. In 1972, Richard Nixon stupefied the world by traveling to Beijing to meet with Mao Tse-tung and establish, for the first time, diplomatic relations with Communist China.”
EDITORIAL
Translated By Molly Smith
March 22, 2009
France – Le Monde – Original Article (French)
On the 20th of March, Barack Obama addressed Iranian leaders with a solemn message expressing his determination “to seek an honest dialogue based on mutual respect.” The gesture is historic, as it seems to signal the start of a thaw after almost thirty years without diplomatic relations between the United States and the Islamic Republic.
In other words, it’s been thirty years since the spectacular hostage-taking at the American Embassy in Tehran which cemented the role of Iran as Washington’s enemy in the Middle East. American diplomacy seems poised to take a great turn, breaking with the Bush team’s 2002 decision to classify Iran as part of an “Axis of Evil,” despite efforts undertaken by Tehran against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, your most trusted translator and aggregator of foreign news and views about our nation.
Founder and Managing Editor of Worldmeets.US