Ahmadinejad: Capitalism Is Dead

csmonitor.com:

Istanbul, Turkey - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sought to bolster the Islamic Republic's regional standing at an economic summit for Muslim leaders in Turkey on Monday, by declaring that a "new era is starting" after the "definite defeat" of capitalism.

Read the whole story: csmonitor.com

Comments

[MARNIE2]

..CAPITALISM...IS THE ENGINE THAT DRIVES ...AMERICA­'S...SUUCC­ESS !

[Philclock]

Obama, Nancy, Harry and most Huffposters agree, dump founding fathers and sell out to Fidel & Hugo.

Very sad.

[joeinvt]

I am selling all my stocks and putting all my cash in goats.

[SFA]

Understand the deeper meaning of his words.........

He does not mean Capitalism is dead....He means.....­...America­n Hegemony is Dead. & American Hegemony is due to it's Capitalistic Structure which we know is not in great shape.

His words are directed at America not at Capitalism­..........­Are their people left who understand how words are played with.

[gbrooks]

Honestly, I don't entirely understand, but I'm a techie, not a word junkie. And I do know that Ahmedinejad is often intentionally misquoted.

I do understand this though, it's corporatism that's killing us (and the corrupt banking system), not Capitalism.

[Philclock]

Elucidate, I don't get it. Corporations are individuals gathered together in one legal entity to compete in the open markets; that's part of capitalism

Its opposite is a monopoly, which is what government is when it competes with private business (social security, public education, AMTRAK, medicare, post office, all huge inefficient money losers that politicians protect, too bit to fail). And a monopoly is not a corporation, or "corporatism", unless I'm missing something.

[Khirad]

First off the CS Monitor is secular in content. Second off, I might be envious when a descendant of Mary Baker Eddy overthrows the US government and creates a Christian Scientist Republic with themselves as Supreme Leader. Third off, you are correct, he doesn't need Western media to interpret his intentions, Reformist newspapers who aren't cowed or shut-down do it well enough. Fourth, we'll agree on Corporatocracy. Similarly, a good case to break up the cronyism of the Pasdaran conglomerate?

[Khirad]

Sorry, this was meant as a response below.

[Khirad]

"I pray to God I never know about economics" - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Oh, and if you think that Ahmadinejad is a socialist, or even an Islamic Marxist (which would be funny considering those were better typified by communist Tudeh, Mohajedin, Feda'iyan and even the Ali Shariati-inspired left wing of early Khomeinists to an extent) because he shunned Capitalism (and yes, Khomeini and Revolutionary ideologists thought of it, and democracy, as "Westoxified"), you would be sorely mistaken.

Using labels like we are familiar in European dialectics can only approximate the unique amalgam of ancient and modern class structure and economic philosophies of Iran. If you would like a little background, Nikki Keddie hits you over the head with it in her work. Here's another link, dated a few years, on privatization in Iran since Ahmadinejad first took office: http://www.merip.org/mer/mer250/ehsani.html

Unfortunately I've misplaced my other pertinent links on this subject. Ahmadi is just speaking in populist generalities here again, I suspect. Thanks CS Monitor for that headline and then veering completely away from it never to touch on the efficacy of his statement. Stellar work there. You're usually much better...

[wereeverywhere]

Thank you for setting the record straight on Ahma-nomics. One of the problems of leftists like Chavez and Lula giving Ahmadinejad legitimacy (there weren't that many non-MidEast, non-vested interest neighbors who 'congratulated' him on his election victory) is he can try to play the anti-capitalist card despite the realities you cite above. He can then pose as an opponent to capitalism even as he participates in it.

[TimDanMick]

At his next press conference he will eschew the fruits of Western Capitalism and speak into a tin can with a string....­.......sor­ry, correction, a clay pot with a string.

[BiBiJan]

Western capitalism? It is western now?

You should read a little history to realize when Persians were navigating oceans and laying the foundations of law, science and philosophy, and tin cups, bigots lived up in trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Iran#Pre-Historic_era

[LAThinker]

But then it all went down the hill and they produced Ahmadinejad, not to say tha any European or American nation can not produced anything like him, just pointing out that past glory is no argument in today's world

[gdcormany]

it may not be dead but its definitely spittin up blood!

[sc300nc]

Well there is one thing that he has in common with the mess iah. Now they can start communicating.

[wereeverywhere]

Since capitalism is dead to Ahmadinejad I take it he will now be giving away the commodity of oil instead of selling it. Ahma, the world's evil court jester seems to be getting desperate to be seen as a prophet rather than a thug.

[Tulka2]

Western citizens will interpret this story based on their own circumstances, to be sure. Cannot help but see a germ of truth in it. Not enough attention has been paid to the incompatibility of Islamic economic theory with Capital's goals. At least not in the west where, "They hate our freedoms" still makes sense to too many Americans.

Jared M. Diamond's book, Collapse, comes into my mind a lot lately. American elites seem to have no idea the tide is eating the sand right out from under their feet. Check out this overview of that book at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_%28book%29

Elites of past defunct cultures protected and cosseted themselves from everyday troubles at the same time they maintained iron-fisted control. They never have any idea of the suffering at the base of their cultures till it is way to late.

Obama made noises as if he knew. That's why he was elected. Unfortunately, he is surrounded by elites who have no idea.

[Sam1234567]

"At least not in the west where, "They hate our freedoms" still makes sense to too many Americans."

So when the Koran tells them to beat their wives, and we condemn it. Is that the freedoms you are referring to?

[BiBiJan]

"The myth of the kind gentle, Jewish husband has been broken down. The evidence that Jewish wife beating exists is strong. Statistics and headlines assail us with facts. 'One out of six' or 'one out of seven' Israeli women is regularly beaten at home. The estimated minimum figure is 100,000 battered women in Israel (of whom 40,000 end up hospitalized)"

"ATTITUDES IN JEWISH TRADITION TOWARD WIFE-BEATING"

"The roots of attitudes toward wife-beating lie in the Jewish tradition. In order to understand and change attitudes, it is necessary to know whence they come. Biblical and rabbinic sources which perpetuate bias against women and justify treating women as second-class citizens continue to be studied. These texts form the background for many modern day attitudes toward women. If we wish to improve our society and eradicate such bias, it is important to recognize the problematic nature of these sources as a first step in fighting back."

http://www.utoronto.ca/wjudaism/journal/vol1n2/v1n2grae.htm

[tinamou]

Great, another 'expert' of the Quran, have you read the Quran in its entirety?

You might be surprised to know that many hadiths disallow men from beating their wives....

[Mollabaji]

Iran's position does not need "bolstering" and Ahmadi does not need Western media to interpret his intentions when he speaks. Iran's position is extremely high in the Islamic world to the envy and dismay of Christian Science or others in the U.S.
Capitalism does not need to be eliminated by Ahmadi or anyone else. It's demise is coming from the inside of the corrupt, unjust, and inhamane system where a handful of corporations control everyone else's life and the rule of the jungle is the prime mover.

[Sirdi]

... amen.