National Review posted an excellent piece over the weekend by David J. Feith and Jordan C. Hirsch, two undergraduates at Columbia University, on the school’s invitation to Ahmadinejad:
Certainly the ideas of a powerful world leader should be studied on American campuses. The true question is whether the university should dignify the Iranian leader by making him an officially invited guest. It is naïve to ignore the uses to which Ahmadinejad will put his invitation. Over the past years, Ahmadinejad’s confrontational rhetoric and policies have resulted in diplomatic isolation and economic hardship for Iran. These developments are unpopular among Iranians. It is beneficial to Ahmadinejad and his regime, then, if he can claim to the Iranian people that his leadership is not hurting their country. If he can demonstrate that he is treated abroad as a respected leader, he will be better able to counter his critics at home. Columbia’s invitation thus gives political assistance to Ahmadinejad. Bollinger has written that “it should never be thought that merely to listen to ideas…implies our endorsement of those ideas.” That is true. But the argument against the official invitation of Ahmadinejad is not an argument against listening to his ideas. It is an argument against bestowing prestige on Ahmadinejad.
Having watched the speech, I’m convinced that’s exactly what has happened. Ahmadinejad will benefit from this far more than any student that was their to witness it. As John Bolton said on Fox after the event was over, the United States will pay a long-term price for this as moderates inside Iran see Ahmadinejad treated as a respected world leader by what used to be a respected university.
