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Ali Larijani: Baseball vs. Chess
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In the buildup to the first Gulf War, President Bush's father put a lot of pressure on Japan to get involved -- preferably with cash to support the U.S. operation. Many perceived Japan to dither but it was the only country in the world to formally tax its population to support the Gulf War, eventually contributing more than $13 billiion.
But at that time, then Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu said Americans play tennis and Japanese play golf -- to explain the difference in response times.
At this week's "Arab Strategy Forum" in Dubai, Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijiani said:
Americans play baseball. We play chess.Let them come."
After a few days in the UAE, it's clear that everyone here is considering the motives, aspirations, failures, and feints of a wide field of players all playing chess. In fact, if George W. Bush showed -- even mockingly -- that he could play chess, respect for him would tick up a bit.
I have more to say on this region, the Iraq Study Group Report, and the reactions of many here to it later -- but have been in back to back meetings with business people, government officials, and aspiring politicians running in the upcoming National Council elections and haven't had the time I need to post something that would add value to the debate about the ISG. But I will shortly.
-- Steve Clemons
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OK, they play chess, but what do they play for?
Despite the rhetoric of the current regime, it seems unlikley that Iran has what we would call imperial aims. Certainly, it desires to have a leading role in the region which its size and resources indicate that it ought to have anyway and inevitably. Who do they really threaten?
The ancient culture of Iran has never received any basic respect from the west, has been subjugated for several hundred years, most recently by us, and is currently surrounded by our troops and reviled as an evil empire. Any government of Iran that did not seek nuclear weapons, defensive weapons for all but the craziest, would be irresponsible.
It may seem polly-annish but a little respect might well go a long way towards stabilizing the region. On the other hand, playing futile games with oil pricing, the life blood of the west seems a fools game.
Even if he was speaking metaphorically he needs to be careful re his words :) otherwise he'll get in trouble with the guardians of public morals back home, who tend to be take things very literally. After all chess is haram e.g. see this" http://www.sistani.org/html/eng/main/index.php?page=4&lang=eng&part=4
Dumbass
P.S. Yes I know Sistani is in Iraq, but he **is** a Shiite Grand Ayatollah
A line like that demonstrates that our Iranian friends still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding the United States. Perhaps they ought to learn a bit about baseball before they assume that it lacks strategy and nuance.
"A line like that demonstrates that our Iranian friends still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding the United States. Perhaps they ought to learn a bit about baseball before they assume that it lacks strategy and nuance."
what makes you think he doesn't understand baseball? Just because it has elements of "strategy and nuance" does not make it the equivalent of chess.
Think of it this way -- the "best" hitters ever have career batting averages that are just slightly over 33%. That kind of "success" rate in chess means you are just a big-ass loser.
I forget where I read it, but there was a comment about the Cuban Missile Crisis and games. The writer pointed out that while the Russian's game has for a long time been Chess, the American's game (and Nixon's in particular) has, since at least the Civil War, been Poker.
Chess is a game of perfect information, where everything is laid out for all players and spectators to see. Very deep strategy, but few if any surprises.
Poker is a game of imperfect information, where players stengths and motivations are hidden until the showdown. You can't bluff in Chess, but you can push a huge stack of chips out with nothing cards in your hand and dare your opponent to call you.
Wrong game, Mr. Larjani.
Now, if I thought Dubya had the smarts to play Poker as well as Tricky Dick could, we might be in a better position.
But a moron playing Poker is still a moron, even when he's up against a Chess player.
Nick Baban -- great post...Poker makes sense to me, but so does chess..
Steve Clemons
In a recent visit to Teheran I was shown a world map with Teheran as its centre. The world looks different when you are there.Perhaps our good folks in the think tanks should try working up such a map and then , just maybe, they will understand where the Iranians are coming from.
To the question why Iran filled all their foreign office posts with hardliners (not diplomats) came the answer : why are there so many neo cons in the USG. My answer: and look where it got them?
In a recent visit to Teheran I was shown a world map with Teheran as its centre. The world looks different when you are there.Perhaps our good folks in the think tanks should try working up such a map and then , just maybe, they will understand where the Iranians are coming from.
To the question why Iran filled all their foreign office posts with hardliners (not diplomats) came the answer : why are there so many neo cons in the USG. My answer: and look where it got them?
As Iran's top nuclear envoy he told on April 25, 2007 that he expected "new ideas" from senior EU official Javier Solana at talks on resolving the deadlock between Tehran's refusal to freeze its Nuclear programme of Iran and United Nations Security Council demands that it do so.
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