Crown prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah of Iran
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Posted on 01/22/2005 2:03:08 AM PST by F14 Pilot
"So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation… America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom."
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, who was watching President George W Bush's speech on television at his hotel in London, noted the language. He was relieved that the phrase "regime change" was not used.
He believes that American military intervention in Iran would be wrong: "Iranians are not willing to buy freedom at any cost. They do not want the freedom of an American general marching in. It is a matter of national pride. We do not need an American soldier to save us."
Mr Pahlavi, 44, has been actively campaigning for secular democracy in Iran since September 11. He says that it is only the regime that stands between an educated, well-resourced country and the free world: "All the unemployment and poverty in Iran is a by-product of political asphyxia."
But Mr Pahlavi says that the rising against the regime must come from within. He looks to the Ukraine or Yugoslavia as a model and rejects comparisons with Iraq: "Iran has a different history, polity, totally different scenarios. Our society is more dynamic and capable. We don't need teachers from American universities to come and teach us about democracy."
What Mr Pahlavi wants from Europe and America is "support for the Iranian people. This means refusing to deal with the regime".
He is particularly opposed to any weapons for trade negotiations: "Other countries should take a principled position on the regime. They must not be seen to cut a deal, at the expense of the Iranian people." There has been little reporting of protests against the regime since the elections last year but Mr Pahlavi's adviser, who asked not to be named, claimed the frustration is at boiling point, particularly among students.
"President Khatami addressed a meeting recently and the students started chanting 'shame on you'. It was moving," he says.
The opposition in Iraq is fastening on the May presidential elections as the moment to force the collapse of the regime. Petitions are being compiled on the internet for a referendum. The opposition claims that the election will be hollow.
"Saddam had elections," says Mr Pahlavi. "Let's not be infatuated by elections." Will the Pentagon have the patience to wait for an internal uprising? A report this week by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker revealed that special forces are already on the ground in Iran.
Mr Pahlavi responds that America must anticipate scenarios but he again rebuffs any sort of intervention. He will not accept, for instance, an American bombing of nuclear installations in Iran to pave the way for a popular uprising. He says that this would immediately strengthen the position of the Mullahs. "It has to be the right mechanism," he says.
He agrees that the stakes are high. Iraq has little chance of becoming a stable country while Iran is supporting insurgency there. "Iran doesn't need to invade Iraq," says Mr Pahlavi. "It is already in there."
He is also clear about the purpose of Iranian Mullahs acquiring nuclear weapons: "It is to blackmail the rest of the world." He says the regime is acutely aware that it is exposed by the toppled tyrannies on its borders and is ready to lash out.
Is he pushing for a restoration of the monarchy as part of a new Iran? "My political mission is over the day that Iranians have the freedom to go to the polls," he says.
Crown prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah of Iran
The latest inteview of the son of the Shah of Iran with BBC Radio on President Bush speech!
http://www.rezapahlavi.org/index.htm
It's high noon for some places and I think that after the election in Iraq and things settle down bush is going to move on Iraq or syria all of our stuff is there already. Its only a short drive as opposed to what we had to do yo get there to start with.
seen this?
That's great..Our soldiers are very precious.
Crown Prince my a$$.
He is just another displaced Iranian citizen.
This concept of royalty is passe today. (Except in their minds of course.)
Watch what you say about him!
Swell, so if they sit on their duffs and do nothing to free themselves and the Mullahs go nuclear, then it's just too bad for the world. Maybe we should all just wait till the Mullahs nuke someone to realize that all talk and no action by the "student," who don't want to see the Mullahs's soon-to-be completed nuclear weapons plants harmed is a disaster. Maybe we should let a Prince in California talk about his national pride for Iran and let him be our guiding light. But ask yourself this when did anyone last see these people protesting? And when you ask the Iranians and they say they can't remember it was they who overthrew the Shah. Apparently, that was much easier. But now, they want us to join in a little suicide pact while they tells us how much they want to be free. We better not drink the kool aid. If they can gain their own freedom and soon, wonderful and all for the better. If they cannot get themselves free, especially because they refuse to actually act, we should not let the Mullahs have nukes to assuage the pride of cowards. NEVER.
By Military intervention in Iran, we will let the Mullahs KILL more human beings.
How do you know? Are you their ventriloquist or their puppet master? Do you trust them not to use nukes? Or should we all just be hostages to the designs of the Mullahs?
I do know!
Well, that's good enough for me. Let's just let the Mullahs of Iran have some nukes. They want 'em. They can have them. Don't do anything to upset these holy men.
Does Richard Armitage and the rest of the State Dept still claim that Iran is a "democracy?" Myself, I'd prefer to see the weird beards in Tehran deposed by a revolution from within, simply because Iran is a much larger country than Iraq or Afghanistan; it will be that much harder for any military intervention on our part to succeed. However, if we do it Reza Pahlavi's way, you know the State Dept folks are going to interfere, since they would rather see tyranny if it comes with stability. After all, they didn't support us going into Iraq. In fact, that's probably why we haven't done much so far to support those in Iran who oppose the theocracy, and why Michael Ledeen ends every one of his columns on Iran with the line, "Faster, please."
How do you propose the Iranian people gain freedom from the tyranny of the mullahs?
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
And the cost of freedom for them is not BLOODSHED and Massacre.
They can do it peacefully!
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