Letters July 2005
Long reaching consequencesOn Fariba Amini's interview with Barbara Waller, "Long ago": I found Mrs. Fariba Amini's interview on Barbara Waller, widow of Operation AJAX man in 1953 most interesting. I did not even know that there were any people alive from that troubled period of our history I mean on the American side. General Swartzkoff's father I believe is dead so is John H. Waller. So it It is always interesting to have real life witnesses who have know these people directly talk about their accounts of major Historical events. Time of course can distort memories and the look we take at the events take a new look at the light of more recent events. I have not lived at the time of these events so it is always difficult to judge the circumstances of the Coup of 1953. It is a periode that revives scars and passionate debates and contradictions in both camps, be it pro Mossadeghs or pro Shahis. The fact is that the coup of 1953 is part of our recent History. It is important to look at it and analyse it be it in terms of its long reaching consenqueces on the establishment of Iran's recent theocracy. I do not think that the roots of the revolution of 1979 are the direct consenquences of the Coup. Stephen Kinzer's latest book All the Shah's Men tries to capitalize on this by claiming that even September 11th is a direct consenquence of the fact that the US restored the Shah on the Peacock Throne. It is a thesis which I find reductive. Anti Americanism was and is a shared feeling in many third World countries. Iran was no exception. The roots of the Islamic revolution are historical but also cultural. The importance of religion in our country's psych was particularly strong. No one could have predicted the turn of events of 1979 in a country which was prosperous and where the Monarchy was historically the only political system Iranians knew. The Shah ruled as a Constitutional monarch for nearly 12 years. The Coup however changed that and encouraged an authocratic drift in the Shah's rule. No one can deny that. One cannot rewrite history however the real question in my opinion is to see if any other alternative was possible in Iran. Was Iran ripe for democracy ? Did Mossadegh have the necessary power and popularity to establish a viable democracy in a country where political corruption was rampant and other than the Constitutional Revolution of 1906, no real political reference of popular uprising for freedom existed. Was Mossadegh capable of establishing lets say a democratic republic without the slightest trouble caused or provoked by the Soviet neighbour ? I think that Mossadeghs political error was to send the Shah to exile rather than find a compromise with him in order to establish a truly constitutional monarchy where the Shah would have continued to be the symbol of national unity but would reign and not rule. Would have the Shah accepted such a role is the other major historical interrogation ? Princess Ashraf's role in Operation Ajax is well known. Her influence to a certain degree on her twin brother also. The passionate debate over the Nationalization of Oil is well known too. Mossadegh deserves credit for this and the Shah certainly envied this. In his memoires "Answer to History" The Shah however expresses his respect for what Mossadegh did in this regard. I think with a certain distance of Time we should try to analyse these essential questions without taboo in order to better understand where the responsabilities stand. I personally think and I may be wrong in my assessment is that the tragedy of the Coup of 53 is that it was inevitable given Iran's importance as an Oil exporter to the West. What adds to the tragedy is most probably the stubborness of both the Shah and Mossadegh to find some form of compromise. In anycase I think more testimonies like the ones gathered by Ms. Amini are vital for a better understanding of the events of 1953 and what followed. Keep up the good work, Ms. Amini as you do on many other issues particularly in regard to Human Rights. I was particularly touched by the review of the works of Soudabeh Ardavan's prison drawings and on other issues you have enlighted us with.
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