Submitted by D. Lucian I., Oct 2, 2007 15:17

Excellent conclusion! For anybody, belonging to any culture, it is impossible not to see the invitation of any foreign leader as a speaker at a gathering of an institution (academic or not) in another country than his/hers own as something else than an international statement of support for that individual. Providing a tough introduction to such a speaker does not offer at all a counterbalance to the gesture of inviting that person in one's "home" to express his/hers opinions. These two actions (inviting and introducing) can be seen and used by anybody in completely separate and contradictory ways. It is beyond any common sense and understanding how the Columbia University's leadership can have such a myopic perspective of its role within the USA and the world, while unquestionable proofs exist of Iran's support of the insurgency that our soldiers are confronting in Iraq nowadays. The time may be ripe for a fundamental change at Columbia's leadership, as well as at other similar universities.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.