Middle East Focus: Middle East Charisma: Did Ahmadinejad Captivate Zimbabwe Crowd? Of Nasser and Khomeini and..…….

Arabia Deserta

Middle East Charisma: Did Ahmadinejad Captivate Zimbabwe Crowd? Of Nasser and Khomeini and..…….

“Iran’s leader captivates crowds in Zimbabwe. They came in busloads from mosques around Harare to the airport, waving Iranian and Zimbabwean flags to welcome the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. By noon, the tarmac at the Harare International Airport on Thursday had turned into a spectacle of green, white and red as the jubilant crowd waved the flags. “I am happy the Muslim community in Harare has come out in full force to show solidarity with President Ahmadinejad,” said Tariro Nyamayavo, 25, a Muslim from nearby Hatfield suburb, in Harare. At the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, which ended yesterday, Iran was the biggest foreign exhibitor, with 40 companies…….. Mr Ahmadinejad is the first leader from outside the African continent to open the exposition in decades. And while there was a large public welcome for the Iranian president, many among the opposition were angered by the visit………………” The National (UAE)

Okay, I think they must have a lot of free time on their hand in Harare. Mr. Ahmadinejad, like every other current leader across the Middle East, cannot captivate any thing that can move and breathe. The Middle East has not had a captivating and charismatic leader since 1970. Ayatollah Khomeini was an exception but he was too religiously-inclined to captivate people enough to put him on an equal footing with Nasser of Egypt.
Saddam Hussein and Yasir Arafat had about as much charisma as my big left toe. Not a single current Arab ruler, dictator, or monarch has any more charisma than that same big left toe of mine. Colonel Qadhafi of Libya started promising when he was young, but something happened along the way. He is still the most entertaining of Arab leaders: he actually seems to enjoy his own ravings and rantings.
Overall, there is no better treatment for insomnia than the visage of an Arab leader, any Arab leader, on television. That has been the case since 1970.
(I am talking actual leaders here, recognized heads of state or heads of government. Otherwise there is one, maybe possibly two, that I can mention. No, I am not one of those ‘one or two’).
Cheers
mhg

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