Current Events

G. Rahmanian

I pretty much agree with your post (and your other posts) 100%. It is naive, in my opinion, to expect the disputes between the IRI's various Khomeinist factions to lead either to meaningful reform or to its downfall. Rather, comprehensive sanctions on oil, natural gas, and the Central Bank of Iran are the way to help facilitate regime change (in my opinion).

Dear Veiled prophet of khorasan

You are a pitriot & alwayes  have a good responce to The B.S Talker thank you for your effort.

after 29 years of living in a so called western democracy(never went back to Iran) ,I still prefer to live in Iran under the shah with all the problems, I had no political conviction, no government position,just a young engineering graduates.

I am  a self exield man that was seek of so called hypocrites poltical nobels wihch had no political knowleg and understanding of world politics .

we all know them 

there is no limit to stupidity & ignorance of melly mazhabi ha and some other political junkie

I don't care vahedi's opinion

Vahedi is and was part of IRI his opinion is worthless ,he will be trialed after the downfall of this criminal regime.

Mr milani stop attacking the late Shah.you can't elevate yourself by attacking pahlavi's regim.

There is no limit  to stupidity & ignorance of islamist

Democracy my foot

People talk a lot but provide very few real solutions. It is easy to talk about Democracy. But when faced with a real nation to run what do you do? Imagine being the Shah:

• You got Soviet Union and its 5th column "Toodeh" trying to break Iran and gobble it up. They got the universities totally infiltrated. They blow things up and murder Americans.
• There is Britain also trying to sow division but may be placated by cheap oil.
• There is JM with a huge hatred of you because of Mossadegh.
• Xenophobes like Al Ahmad fighting modernity.
• Islamists freaking out that women have rights.
• Meanwhile sycophants say you are the greatest mind in Iranian history since Cyrus the Great.

You are in a bind and get paranoid. So you rely on Savak. Not a very good idea but then paranoia leads to this kind of thing. The longer you hold on to power the more difficult it is to give it up.

Did Shah make mistakes: yes very many. But he wanted the best for Iran. From WWII until he went we did not have one war. The single mistake: giving up Bahrain. But other than that Shah really helped Iran. 

Fine he screwed up with Rastakhiz. But if that was the price of 38 years of peace I will pay it. There are people who are very political. To them political freedom means a great deal. Most people just want social freedom; peace; prosperity. For us Shah was good enough. It was all the propaganda that demonized him. I will never forget how my cousin after 6 months of university became a Marxist. I used to debate him and he had no idea what he was talking about. 

It cost him his life not at the hands of Savak but at the hands of MEK. When they scared him into going into hiding and then abandoned him to die. I will never forgive MEK for that to me it is personal. Then anti Shah forced torched Cinema Rex burning 400 people to blame the Shah. If this is Democracy *** it. Bring in some perspective into the whole thing. And if you want to replace a regime don't replace gold with shit.

C'est Cela Oui Mon Petit .. ;0)

MICHAEL‘s TRIUMPH: Romanian Parliament Welcomes Former King on 90th Birthday

Don't Blame us for Getting Your Priorities Wrong ...

Khomeiny’s Hichi

Not Just Once : 

THE PAST IS A FOREIGN COUNTRY: How Would You Evaluate Iran's Democracy Index in 1953 ?

Isn't Calling for the Head of State's Death usually called "Treason"?

But Twice:

But I Do Hope You live Long and Prosper ...

King Abdullah II of Jordan In Star Trek - YouTube 

Weak analysis...

You cannot simple allow a figure such as the shah with all his totalitarian power to stay next to the system! Who knows how much he or the west would do in order to manipulate the future back in 1979...

This overwhelming fear also led to the seige of the american embassy as well as the execution of all high and middle ranked staff in the shah's regime. If we look back at it now it seems like overkill, but with the mentality that people had back then and with past experience such as the reinstallation of the shah by the CIA etc nobody could take any risk.

If we look back at it now the only reasonable thing which the iranians could have done would be like the allies did with Reza Shah, and that is to make the former shah go away in favor of his son, but still there are risks...

If you never wanted to share power, but are willing to when you have a gun against your head then the whole thing becomes ridicilous...

In the case of monarchy, it is and will be a symbol of submission, in both wealth and power...

So true DK.

By the way, Milani is an anti-pahlavi, anti-monarchist & anti-freedom activist.

Mr Milani Stop Talking Rubbish:Enghelabe Iran Democratikee Bood?

If the Revolution as You put it was so democratic from the start it would not demand the Shah's Departure but the strict application of the Constitution which in it's inspiration from it's very inception the 1906 so called Revolutionaries never demanded for the departure of the Monarchy but the Separation of Powers and the King's rule limited to a Symbolic role.

Something which the Shah ultimately accepted :

THE SHAH's SPEECH: Mohamed Reza Shah Pahlavi's Last Speech

Why then did the Salon Revolutionaries demand to Jump from a Belgian Model ( which served as an initial draft to the 1906 Constitution):

Cyrus Amir-Mokri on Pros and Cons of 1906 Constitution

to a French One ? 

Khomeini In Paris: No Monarchy. Shah's departure not enough;constitutional monarchy must go

Revolutionaries hang Reza Shah's Bust at Paris Embassy (1979)

We Saw indeed How Democratic YOUR REVOLUTION and it's Republic Was:

HISTORY OF VIOLENCE: Man Chased by Anti Shah Protestors During Shah's US Visit (1977)

pictory:(FOR REFERENDUM BASHERS) Women Punched in Face by Revolutionaries

Iran did NOT need a Revolution "à la française" as often suggested by our Ever Clueless ANN TELLECTUALS :

HISTORY FORUM: Bahram Moshiri's Take on The French Revolution and Why He Misses The Point ;0)

REVOLUTION DEMYSTIFIED: Truth and Lies Surrounding the French Revolution

While overlooking the Price a Nation has to pay for such Simplistic and Nihilistic Mindsets: 

VIRTUE IN TERROR: Maximilien Robespierre and the Reign of Terror (BBC))

No Sir at worst Iran Needed Reform "à l'anglaise"!

ROYAL RHINOPLASTY: Stephen Fry On The Imperfections of the Monarchy and Why It Should Be Preserved

RESTORATION:Britain's 'Glorious Revolution' of 1688 and the 'Bill of Rights'

Something Genuine Democrats Like Bakhtiar and Constitutionalists tried to achieve had it not been for the betrayal of the JM amongst others:

pictory: Bakhtiar Denounces Bazargan's Provisionary Government in exile (1979)

RESTORATION: Shapour Bakhtiar advocates Restoring the Monarchy ( Newsweek July 30th,1984)

Democracy is not always achieved by dismantling the entire State Apparatus and destroying everything just to satisfy some Irrational Demand and Slogans celebrating a "Man on the Moon" !

That YOU Personally Believe Republicanism is the best System of Government fit for Iran is One thing ... 

Many Others Don't ! 

And for Good Reason:

ROYAL FORUM: Explaining the Concept of a Constitutional Monarchy to a Staunch Republican 

Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2010 (PHOTOS) 

PRAISE FOR REZA SHAH: Adjoudani Slams Lack of Recognition for Pahlavi Dynasty's Founder 

But Please Don't Insult Our Intelligence Or Blame Us for your Own Poor Choice !

Take Care Comrad ! 

DIPLOMATIC HISTORY: Farah and China's Zhou Enlai ( ~1972-73 )

Best,

DK 

Amir:

When it comes to desperate moves by the regime to save itself, the so-called, "supporters" don't count, at all. The issue is not whether presidency is eliminated or not. Will the elimination of VF bring about any desirable change? Iranians want the whole regime gone. As Mr. Vahedi says from 7:42 minute in the 2nd video, there are people who want to see Ahmadinejad as resisting Khamenei! The power struggle among different factions of the regime is nothing new. This one too will have very little effect on the status quo.

I don't think it will happen...

Personally, I don't think the IRI will eliminate its sham "elections" for the "presidency", because the notion of an "elected president" is one of the pillars of the IRI's propaganda (particularly among the IRI's West-residing regime apologists). 

Quite possibly the most important recent development in Iran

I believe this is a development that has been in the works for a number of years and as much as the Islamic Republic wanted to do it, it lacked the guts to pull it off.

This is no small event. It cannot be compared to anything else that is happening right now. We must all pay close attention and stay focused on this, for it is an important link in a long chain that is leading Iran into a complete state of North Koreanization.

ميگن نره، ميگه بدوشش!

As If that's the only issue Iranians need to deal with? As the Iranian proverb goes: "You cannot milk a bull!" With or without presidency, what difference does it make?

Very Good Analaysis ....

Abbas Milani, and to a lesser extent, Vahedi, demonstrated the true reality of all the power struggles - And indeed, the potential outcome :) !