President Ahmadinejad Goes On The "Enemies of His Enemies" Tour -- By Walter Russell Mead, The American Interest

It looks as if the Islamic Republic has learned something from the Great Satan after all. Washed up second string politicians in America get sent to trivial foreign destinations and events. President Ahmadinejad is on the outs with the Supreme Leader and so while Iran takes big decisions at home about nuclear reactors and the Strait of Hormuz, the A-jad is on a tour of Latin B-list countries.

If you live in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba or Ecuador, you might have an opportunity to catch the Iranian president’s traveling road show. There won’t be a lot to see.
The WSJ reports:

In calling on some of Iran’s few friends abroad, Mr. Ahmadinejad may be trying to show Iranians that the country still has its supporters and can rely on allies to help it ease the impact of sanctions, analysts say.

This isn’t the first time that Mr. Ahmadinejad has tried to shore up support in Latin America. According to the article “Iran estimates that it has entered 70 joint venture deals with Venezuela, including a factory to assemble cars and tractors under the brand name ‘Veniran’.” We are eagerly awaiting the chance to test drive one of these but as yet can’t find a Veniran dealership in Queens.

But the real story is about the countries which Iran’s president is not visiting. No stops in Argentina, nothing in Mexico and Chile and, more importantly, no stops in Brazil.   The trip may be intended to show that Iran still has important friends around the world, but the effect is to underline its isolation. The A-jad will be out there at Danny Ortega’s inaugural on a shoeshine and a smile; back home the Supreme Leader and the real powers that be in Iran will be taking care of some serious business. CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE Sphere: Related Content