The first thing that struck me about this letter was that it’s badly in need of some serious copy-editing. I would think a letter of such implied importance, written expressly for the leader of an English-speaking nation, would be subjected to a lot more revision than this lackluster effort appears to have been.
Second, I don't think, aside from the fact that the letter was sent at all, that any new ground was broken regarding a significant move toward conciliation with the West. Ahmadi-Najad can't possibly expect to reinvigorate relations with the West by telling them that democracy has failed and that Israel's existence is an inexplicable phenomenon.
Finally, I think it's safe to say that this letter wasn't written to George Bush at all. If it was, you wouldn't be reading it right now. Ahmadi-Najad realizes how low George Bush's ratings are and understands that he needs to tone down his message in order to capitalize on Bush's current unpopularity.
All in all, I give this effort of statecraft a solid B+; it was well-timed, addresses its intended audiences perfectly, and could very well, at least temporarily, apply the brakes to the hostile rhetoric of late. Why only a B+ and not an A? Spelling and grammar count. Install MS Word Mr. Ahmadi-Najad; I personally never send out a historical, potentially world-changing document without spell checking it first.
Read the full letter here
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