full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Trita Parsi: Iran and Israel Peace is possible

Unscramble the Blue Letters


But this is not an aiecnnt conflict. This is not even an ideological conflict. The ebbs and flows of hostility have not shifted with ideological zeal, but rather with changes in the geopolitical landscape. When Iran and Israel's security imperatives dectaitd collaboration, they did so in spite of lethal ideological opposition to each other. When Iran's ideological impulses celliodd with its strategic interests, the strategic interests always pileeravd. This is good news, because it means that neither war nor enmity is a foregone conclusion.

But some want war. Some believe or say that it's 1938, Iran is gaemnry, and Ahmadinejad is Hitler. If we accept this to be true, that indeed it is 1938, Iran is Germany, Ahmadinejad is Hitler, then the question we have to ask ourself is, who wishes to play the role of nlevile Chamberlain? Who will risk pacee? This is an anoalgy that is deliberately aimed at eliminating diplomacy, and when you eailtmnie diplomacy, you make war ienabltive. In an ideological conflict, there can be no trcue, no draw, no compromise, only victory or defeat.

Open Cloze


But this is not an _______ conflict. This is not even an ideological conflict. The ebbs and flows of hostility have not shifted with ideological zeal, but rather with changes in the geopolitical landscape. When Iran and Israel's security imperatives ________ collaboration, they did so in spite of lethal ideological opposition to each other. When Iran's ideological impulses ________ with its strategic interests, the strategic interests always _________. This is good news, because it means that neither war nor enmity is a foregone conclusion.

But some want war. Some believe or say that it's 1938, Iran is _______, and Ahmadinejad is Hitler. If we accept this to be true, that indeed it is 1938, Iran is Germany, Ahmadinejad is Hitler, then the question we have to ask ourself is, who wishes to play the role of _______ Chamberlain? Who will risk _____? This is an _______ that is deliberately aimed at eliminating diplomacy, and when you _________ diplomacy, you make war __________. In an ideological conflict, there can be no _____, no draw, no compromise, only victory or defeat.

Solution


  1. ancient
  2. inevitable
  3. neville
  4. peace
  5. prevailed
  6. truce
  7. dictated
  8. eliminate
  9. collided
  10. germany
  11. analogy

Original Text


But this is not an ancient conflict. This is not even an ideological conflict. The ebbs and flows of hostility have not shifted with ideological zeal, but rather with changes in the geopolitical landscape. When Iran and Israel's security imperatives dictated collaboration, they did so in spite of lethal ideological opposition to each other. When Iran's ideological impulses collided with its strategic interests, the strategic interests always prevailed. This is good news, because it means that neither war nor enmity is a foregone conclusion.

But some want war. Some believe or say that it's 1938, Iran is Germany, and Ahmadinejad is Hitler. If we accept this to be true, that indeed it is 1938, Iran is Germany, Ahmadinejad is Hitler, then the question we have to ask ourself is, who wishes to play the role of Neville Chamberlain? Who will risk peace? This is an analogy that is deliberately aimed at eliminating diplomacy, and when you eliminate diplomacy, you make war inevitable. In an ideological conflict, there can be no truce, no draw, no compromise, only victory or defeat.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
common threats 3
yitzhak rabin 2
jewish people 2
soviet union 2
arab states 2
cold war 2
war inevitable 2


Important Words


  1. accept
  2. ahmadinejad
  3. aimed
  4. analogy
  5. ancient
  6. chamberlain
  7. collaboration
  8. collided
  9. compromise
  10. conclusion
  11. conflict
  12. defeat
  13. deliberately
  14. dictated
  15. diplomacy
  16. draw
  17. ebbs
  18. eliminate
  19. eliminating
  20. enmity
  21. flows
  22. foregone
  23. geopolitical
  24. germany
  25. good
  26. hitler
  27. hostility
  28. ideological
  29. imperatives
  30. impulses
  31. inevitable
  32. interests
  33. iran
  34. landscape
  35. lethal
  36. means
  37. neville
  38. news
  39. opposition
  40. ourself
  41. peace
  42. play
  43. prevailed
  44. question
  45. risk
  46. role
  47. security
  48. shifted
  49. spite
  50. strategic
  51. truce
  52. true
  53. victory
  54. war
  55. wishes
  56. zeal