The English translation of the Iranian letter is available at
http://www.farsnews.com/English/newstext.php?nn=8502200174 reason is the alternative to nihilism 13.May.2006 20:18
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Iran has legitimate security concerns. Convening a security conference is imperative. Iran's letter cannot be dismissed as diversion as though US interests trump all other interests including preservation of world peace.
To regain the hearts and minds of the world public, the US must cease and desist from its occupation and conquest of Iraq. International law (particularly the UN Charter) radically limits war to self-defense and Security Council approval. International law is founded on reparations and the right of self-determination. The strength of the law should prevail over the law of the stronger, the law of the jungle.
Nihilism means the Bush administration is incapable of reason and negotiation. Our hope is that Bush's personal ambitions and personal doom do not become a global Armaggedon.
Humility is a strength, not a weakness as diversity is a strength, not a threat.
As Jesus used a Samaritan woman to humble the megalomania of the self-righteous, perhaps an Iranian will humble the megalomania of the Project for a New American Century. Nations should be partners, not vassals. War must not be normalized and foreign policy must not be militarized.
As prejudice is a stepping stone to understanding, the fusion of horizons (cf Hans Georg Gadamar,Truth and Method), and as reconciliation means creating a new unity relativizing conflict, the bloody history of the US could be a stepping stone to interdependence and sharing power.
The world asks "How can these actions be reconciled with the values of Jesus Christ?"
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