Ahmadinejad Wants A Meeting With Obama...

[DC]

I would love the UN or some such organisation to create an online library of national constitutions.... It would make these discussions a lot easier

That is an interesting and well balanced article, and I think I would conceed the reaction to the Presidents motions was a little strong handed. However given we are in a bit of an information vacuum regarding Honduran politics it is hard to say with surity

I did find this

http://countrystudies.us/honduras/87.htm

Its a description and critisim of the workings of the Honduran Supreme Court.

I did find this interesting

One frequent criticism has focused on the executive branch's dominance over the judiciary. Because a new Supreme Court is appointed every four years with the change in the presidency and because the executive essentially controls the selection of the justices, the judiciary is largely beholden to the president.

So effectively the court bit the hand that feeds it - Unlike the US systems where the judges can have widely varying political views to those held by the executive, seems in this model, the executive directly appoints them them.

Finally in defense of actions that have occured, it is important to note that the party in power were the ones to remove him from office, so this is not even a regime change, but simply changing the name on the business cards.

the Library of Constitutions is a very good idea.
(thats something i like much about our government, almost every document is put online in our National languages and englihs, very helpfull to keep informed.)


one fo the first things to read about Honduras and the Constitution was this

Honduran constitutions are generally held to have little bearing on Honduran political reality because they are considered aspirations or ideals rather than legal instruments of a working government.

http://countrystudies.us/honduras/84.htm

but dont know how much trueth there is in it.


btw we are somewhat off topic

 

[MG1962]

the Library of Constitutions is a very good idea.
(thats something i like much about our government, almost every document is put online in our National languages and englihs, very helpfull to keep informed.)


one fo the first things to read about Honduras and the Constitution was this


http://countrystudies.us/honduras/84.htm

but dont know how much trueth there is in it.


btw we are somewhat off topic

LOL - me thinks you are right - we might have to let the experts on the Iranian constitution have the floor for a while

 

[geni]

But with Zelaya, wasnt he removed as an act of the country's Supreme Court? Would not that action alone (Assuming it is constitutional) Legitimise the incomming government?

Basicaly due to their epic fail on due process no.

 

[Giz]

Any potential meeting just helps Ahmadinejad… alll he has to do is get Obama to go to a meeting, greet him as Iranian President (as protocol would insist) and hey presto - legitimised! After that he doesn't need to make any consescions during the talks as he has already got what he came for.

I can't see an upside for the America/the free world from a meeting with Ahmadinejad

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Any potential meeting just helps Ahmadinejad… alll he has to do is get Obama to go to a meeting, greet him as Iranian President (as protocol would insist) and hey presto - legitimised! After that he doesn't need to make any consescions during the talks as he has already got what he came for.

I can't see an upside for the America/the free world from a meeting with Ahmadinejad

What about getting him to give in on the issue of inspections in exchange for this automatic legitimization?

Also, if Ahmadinejad is not the legitimate president of Iran, then who is?

I'm certainly not defending Ahmadinejad or condoning of him or his system of government, but I don't think there's good evidence that Mousavi won the election.

 

[Giz]

What about getting him to give in on the issue of inspections in exchange for this automatic legitimization?

Would we have the inspections take place before the meeting? Otherwise, what is to stop Mahmoud from changing his mind as soon as he has had his Obama photo-op?

Also, if Ahmadinejad is not the legitimate president of Iran, then who is?

I'm certainly not defending Ahmadinejad or condoning of him or his system of government, but I don't think there's good evidence that Mousavi won the election.

Damned if I know who we should deal with (if anyone). We do know for sure that Mahmoud is a destabilizing influence and that (as far as I can see) meeting Mahmoud will only be good for Mahmoud, and not for US.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

Would we have the inspections take place before the meeting? Otherwise, what is to stop Mahmoud from changing his mind as soon as he has had his Obama photo-op?

Presumably if we got the concession it would be in the form of an agreement with the UN.

Damned if I know who we should deal with (if anyone). We do know for sure that Mahmoud is a destabilizing influence and that (as far as I can see) meeting Mahmoud will only be good for Mahmoud, and not for US.

I'm not so sure there is no benefit to be had for the U.S. Also, I don't think we should base foreign policy on whether or not someone will try to make use of a photo op. (The Don Rumsfeld and Saddam Hussein photo op didn't do Saddam much good, did it?)

 

[Giz]

Presumably if we got the concession it would be in the form of an agreement with the UN.



I'm not so sure there is no benefit to be had for the U.S. Also, I don't think we should base foreign policy on whether or not someone will try to make use of a photo op. (The Don Rumsfeld and Saddam Hussein photo op didn't do Saddam much good, did it?)

Maybe, maybe. It would be nice if you are right. It would unfortunately not surprise me one iota if the Iranian government decided to thumb their noses at any UN agreement. (And then what would we do?)




(Not sure if the Rumsfeld/Saddam photoshoot is relevant - was Saddam trying to establish internal legitimacy at that time? He stayed in power for another couple of decades after the photo so It couldn't have hurt him too much)

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

(Not sure if the Rumsfeld/Saddam photoshoot is relevant - was Saddam trying to establish internal legitimacy at that time? He stayed in power for another couple of decades after the photo so It couldn't have hurt him too much)

I was pointing out that a photo op doesn't mean that much wrt the issue of the legitimacy of a regime. I certainly wasn't claiming that it hurt Saddam Hussein, only pointing out that a photo op like this is not a guarantee of "legitimacy". (And he was public enemy number 1 during the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991. So his "legitimacy" was in question considerably less than one decade after the photo with Rummy was taken.)