Current Events

Class act

RP is a class act and should be supported in his effort to get the IRI goons endited by international court.

I still think the country  needs more of General Franco than Khuan Carlos for a time being. Even post IRI you will need some one like that, otherwise crisis that will surely follow after IRI demise could take the country into civil war and disintegeration.

Two points with re to RP

Firstly, there's been no opinion polls (as far as I know) conducted with regards to RP or any other political figure in Iran. Hence, to assume he will have the most votes if there was an election in Iran is purely hypothetical and not a valid premise in political arguments to base strategies on mere speculations! Moreover, even if he were, he would still have to be subject to dissent and political challenge!

Secondly, he is riding on the tide of his ancestry and fame generated by it,. Otherwise, what makes him more suitable than any other Iranian HR activists such as A.K Lahiji or Elaheh Hix? The same goes when it comes to political activities! Therefore, what distinguishes him from the rest is not based on merits, but rather the fame associated with his ancestry! So, why shouldn't we, as ordinary citizens and his ptential future employers, be able to question him on every single issue we find questionable?! What if Hassan Khomeini was going to participate in this coalition? Were we to just issue him a blanc cheque because he was a child when his grand father committed those heinous crimes, or do we expect him to renounce them and prove his committment to democracy and secularism?!  

Iranians in the Diaspora who believe in Democracy

Owe it to themselves to come together in an organization that upholds the tenets of Democracy and Human rights.  This organization will not and should not assume leadership in the sense of becoming an imported future force in Iran but as an organized support system for efforts towards Democracy in Iran.   We need to make this organization if for nothing else but to show it can be done.  That we could stand together under reasonable and basic principles. 

Many of the signs held by the protesters of 2009 in Iran were in English, "Where is my vote", why do you think the signs were in English. 

ROOG: SPot on. All valid

ROOG: SPot on. All valid observations.

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

مصاحبه ی خوبی بود اما نکته جدیدی نداشت

اینقدر که در سایت های مختلف از رفتار بی ادبانه و گستاخانه ی این خانم شنیدم مجبور شدم مصاحبه رو حتما ببینم.به نظر من جز لحن اندکی معترضانه (که از ویژگی های این نسل هست) هیچ اشکالی در مصاحبه ی این خانم با آقای پهلوی ندیدم.به نظر من مصاحبه ی خوبی بود جز یکی دو سئوال تکراری و جواب های کاملا تکراری آقای پهلوی هیچ ایرادی بر اون وارد نبود.نمی دونم چرا خیلی ها اینقدر جبهه گرفتند.باید پذیرفت که رضا پهلوی هم یک انسان هست و از آسمان نازل نشده و اگر قرار است نقد شود باید شخصا و به خاطر عملکرد خودش مورد سئوال قرار بگیرد نه عملکرد نیاکانش! ضمنا برای من جالب اینجاست که چرا لحن تمسخر آمیز و بعضا گستاخانه کامبیز حسینی با بسیاری از مصاحبه شوندگان تا این اندازه مورد توجه و نقد قرار نگرفته است.بارها شده که با مصاحبه شوندگان طوری حرف زده که اگر من جای فرد مذکور بودم مسلما وسط مصاحبه میکروفن را برداشته و استودیو را ترک می کردم نه به خاطر سئوال هایش بلکه به خاطر لحن زننده ای که بارها از او دیده ایم.

RP is it

RP is the best person we got and that is reality. Souri is right that West may not force a leader on people. They played with idea of MEK but I guess backed off. Probably after it realized MEK has no support among people.

Now the West is going back and viewing RP to see if he is viable. RP is a by all rights the best one we got. If he gets a great deal of support among diaspora West will view him as viable. That is why it is so important for us all to support him.

It is not as if we got a ton of possibilities to chose from. Among the people we got RP is the most democratic and secular. He has the cleanest and best record and is a real patriot. Whether you are Monarchist or not he is the best one you will get.

Faramarz, those are the madeleines

He probably bought them at Giant store, close to his house. I have seen him twice in that store, doing his own grocery. We had even a short conversation about how to buy meat! He is very down to Earth and friendly. That's why I like his personality.

az barkhordeh doostanetoon

az barkhordeh doostanetoon binahayat sepazgozaram.

pedramx Jan OK Will try.

but I do hope you do read them at least ;0) 

Darius kadivar aziz

har chand bazi az matalebetoon jaleban vali har dafeh ke comment mizari engar nesfeh blog khodeto miari copy and paste mikokni!! doosteh aziz comment 5 khat ya 10 khat nadigeh nesfeh safteh ba hezarta linko in chiza... tamameh safeh roo por mikoni... ageh inghadr harf barayeh goftan darid post jadidi khodetoo shooroo konid ya dar blog shakhsi be rahnamood haye khodetoon edameh bedid... faghat yk tosieh doostaneh bood omidvaram delgir nashid

تجربه‌های شکست خورده سازمان‌سازی در ایران

........................

میدان مبارزه ایران است و سازمان‌هائی که در خارج از کشور فعالیت می‌کنند،
بدون برخورداری از مشروعیت جنبش داخل کشور عرض خود می‌برند و زحمت ما می‌دارند.

//newsmanager.gooya.com/politics/archives/201...

Faramarz Jan ce sont des "madeleines" de Proust ;0)

Recette des madeleines - YouTube

An unintended Freudian Slip Perhaps ? ...

Mossadegh a la recherche du Temps Perdu 

;0) 

DK 

PS: The interview was probably done at RP's Flat in the Paris's outskirt near Saint Germain En Laye. I recognized the encyclopedia britannica complete collection in the library too, given that I have the same which I brought all the way back from Iran when we left and the French edition of her mother's memoires in the background. 

What's that Brown Thing in the Middle of the Table?

It looks like a big piece of bread or a large cream puff!

Reza Pahlavi is a class act and has conducted himself admirably over the years. He has the most recognizable name and face among the opposition, but that does not necessarily translate to votes or a leadership position in the future of Iran. And I am not sure if that's what he is seeking.

The interviewer is like a teenage girl challenging her father and the father trying to stay calm and logical. And at the end he wins her over!

I didn't find her aggressive at all just misinformed ...

I didn't find her aggressive at all just misinformed and inexperienced very much like most young iranians of her generation ignorant of her country's past ( or at least Pre IRI history) given that she did not live during that era and grew up with all the IRI propaganda and brainwashing she was exposed to ...

I am Not suggesting that she is brainwashed in anyway but just not informed on most issues she brought up.

Other than that I welcome her initiative to interview the Crown Prince and encourage such dialogue and exchanges.

RP 2 on the other hand handled the questions very well so I truly don't see where was the controversy ?

That said What Masih fails to understand like most fellow compatriots who criticize RP 2  or his political approach to date is that he is not merely leading an election campaign, for this is not about an intellectual discourse between Iranians with a different set of ideological differences ...

This is first and foremost about Regime Change and toppling a totalitarian system which we have all come to realize is incompatible with democracy and 21st century mindsets.

If Miss Masih Alinejad and her likeminds think that these Pashmo Reshoo thugs in Tehran will go away simply after a polite exchange of views on issues ranging from democratic reform to economic challenges or the place of Iran in the International arena or it's foreign policy choices then she is totally out of line.

For indeed If "Khoda Nakardeh" Iran has to face at some juncture what the Syrians are facing today then we better be prepared to offer an alternative to the regime as a credible force to be recognized with both nationally and internationally.

That's easier said than done, and RP 2 Knows that, hence his caution not to disappoint and give false hopes as has often been the case for the Iranian opposition for the past 3 decades including with someone I personally admire Shapour Bakhtiar who would often promise regime change in merely 6 months:

Bakhtiar's last public appearance in 1989 in Hamburg speaks about Regime Change: 

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNBFTWXz5_Q

This means we need to lower our expectations on the short term but think STRATEGICALLY on the Long term !  

However even That cannot be done without accepting a form of leadership or common umbrella in the form of a representative coalition of some sort. RP 2 is the person who can do that partially but not entirely and certainly not without a full endorsement and support of all those ( including our self proclaimed intelligentsia and other "Iran Experts" who alas rarely dare take a bold stance on any issue other than offering bankrupt political correct and crowd pleasing assessments) who truly seek genuine change and who understand that standing against the current regime is not merely a question of intellectual discourse but more importantly a Moral and Patriotic Duty. 

For were it not for our national anglophobia, I would be tempted to add to Reza's Call Winston Churchill's (*):

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.

You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: Victory. Victory at all costs — Victory in spite of all terror — Victory, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival."

If anybody has a better idea be my guest !  

My Humble Opinion,

DK 

(*) obviously quoted here as separate from it's apparent warmongering rhetorical context amidst WWII and a foreign invasion which was specific to it's own time and Great Britain's own challenges which obviously are not ours at this juncture but the spirit of which that is of valiant defiance in our case against the IRI tyranny is and should be the same.

Recommended Readings:

RESPONDING TO REZA's CALL: An Iranian Solidarnosc in the Making ... by DK 

SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE: Iranian Intelligenstia Remembers Shapour Bakhtiar

"A Country that Loses it's Poetic Vision is a Country that faces death"-Saul Bellow 

To be fair

Although I understand there are many people who support RP and I absolutely respect their position, however I believe most of their assessment of this interview was unfair.

As a start I personally believe the performance of the lady who did the interview was much better than RP. Furthermore I find the personal insults by some comentators towards her very distasteful as they remind me of the way IRI behave toward the opposition

My first problem with Reza Pahlavi is the way he dances around the issue of leadership. Now! Whether we like it or not there are many people in Iran and especially among the younger generation who advocate a parliamentary Monarchy.

These people are not one homogenous group and each of these groups have their own reasons for such choice. But what is certain about all of them is that all these people look up to RP as a leader.

Now if RP would have decided to abdicate and follow another path to democracy in Iran I would not have had any objection to that choice as long as he would have passed the torch to another eligible candidate who would be able to insure the continuity of the institution called monarchy.

However since he has not done so and hence accepted the leadership of this institution, he should accept the fact the he is one of (if not the only viable) leaders of the opposition and representative of a large group within Iranian nation. So he needs to embrace this position and stop apologizing for it.

If people like Mr & Mrs Rajavi, Mr Tagva-ee or Mr Banisadr and many more could represent themselves as one of the leaders or even the only leader of the opposition then why not Reza Pahlavi? Why should he be any different?

If people like Mosavi Karoobi and Rajavi are given the benefit of doubt and a chance to put their past conduct aside and change direction, then why not RP. Why should he be prosecuted for the mistakes of his father and grand father which was much less than these other groups and their leaders, while their services much outweighed their errors.

If these other so called leaders or even members of other opposition groups could not get this simple fact into their brain, then for me at least they are not worth the time of the day.

.

Secondly I believe the lady have asked a few good questions to some of which she did not get a viable answer.

For example when she asked RP about his cooperation and contacts with other opposition groups especially those out of Iran, instead of giving a strait answer RP just babbled. While on the other hand I really expected to hear a straitgh forward answer like the names a few opposition individuals and opposition groups abroad and I do not believe that would have been unrealistic.

Thirdly in some parts of interview he appeared a bit agitated and even angry and I would not have expected that of a person of his stature.

And the last but not least was the way he referred to AN (Ahmadi Nejaad). Although I cannot stand(AN) the man, but I still expected from a respectable leader like RP to observe the diplomatic protocols.

Now I know some of you might think of me as a pseudo Monarchist while others might label me as an IRI sympathiser, but first and foremost I would like to think of myself as an advocator of democracy and not a follower of people and if that means rattling some cages or upsetting a few people by challenging their way of thinking then so be it

Siavash300, You are only one who reasoned Why RP?

Great reasons to support RP.  He will bring back our GooD Image and would save our Unity.

Thanks.

Pahlavi-O-F-O-N-C??

What a smart questions.

He heated up again like his father.Even big TSUNAMI cannot bring you back to IRAN, no place for you in IRAN. Keep it out.

1-She lacks the basics of

1-She lacks the basics of journalism . She is interviewing ( in her view, at least) an important person, but she doesn’t know how to do this. Incorrect ethicist, incorrect body language, incorrect wordings, incorrect questions and questioning.

2- I agree with JJ, I think He would receive a lot of attention in Iran as well as outside Iran.

Rouzbeh Jaan

You bring up a very important and interesting issue that is rarely discussed. Actually this is the second time in about a week that you are raising this issue. I use " you" generically in the following discussion and do not mean "Rouzbeh" :)

And, that is whether being in prison and making sacrifices for your country,

1) will make you entitled to anything more than any other citizens 

2) are credentials for any post or leadership

3) make your ideology any more acceptable or valuable

4) should others be obligated to accept your ideology just because of your sacrifices

5) will necessarily help the cause of freedom and democracy 

I think this is a very important issue to discuss openly. It has been a taboo questioning those who make sacrifices for their country. But shouldn't their actions and beliefs be judges individually rather than based on the sacrifices alone? MEK certainly feel that they deserve something for years of fighting this regime. Should we give them another 30 years of our country and our kids' future? I am sure you know that Khalkhali was imprisoned for what he believed prior to the revolution. Was he any better than the rest of us? 

Good interview

She asked him some tough questions and he gave her reasonable and intelligent answers. It would be nice to see her interviewing Ahmadinejad, maybe next time (if he's still the president) makes his trip to UN.

Chinese view of Revolution

" the majority of Iranians has no trust in the revolutionaries."

As they should: 

//www2.unipr.it/~deyoung/I_Ching_Wilhelm_Tran...

Reza did well, spoke down to earth

Masih was good also, and it's interesting to see that she does not wear her hallmark hejab [hat] anymore, shakes hand too.

aakh aakh JJ, don't come out of the closet!

See? Hooshang just said :

 A) This site is a closet Monarchist (most often no so closet) site?

LOL, That one was too funny :)

Have a good night everyone.

JJ:

I had the same thoughts! Whether one likes it or not that's the reality on the ground in Iran. There are several reasons, the most important of which is the majority of Iranians has no trust in the revolutionaries.

Good or bad

If there were free elections in Iran, Reza Pahlavi would get the highest vote. That's reality. Like it or not, good or bad.

Souri.

I dont see myself as causing any "perturbation" in anyway. I am just viewing the issue and debating it from a different perspective than you. Some people call it "thinking outside the box". A concept you apparently are not familiar with. But look it up, never too late for learning new stuff you know.

"Personal business must yield to collective interest."

Being Rude is not being assertive.

Why did she have to ask her questions in such an offensive way?

She is Rude!

If she spoke with me like that.... I would be offended! 

RP is such a gentleman.

Would be honored to have him represent Iran.

dear Arj, I hear you and am aboslutely with you

On that matter! Yes, his supporters are the true obstacle to the democracy for  Iran . That's also what worries me about his claim.

I find him a good man, he has good intention for his country, maybe a bit colored by ego and some loyality toward his father and his royal family, but again, we can't blame him for that, because he was born and raised in such environment  who always wanted him to be the King!

Yes, I agree with you that he is  sitting on the fence to see where the waves take him, if he could revive and climb the throne, otherwise, settle for presidency or something!

But also, as I mentioned before, I think he is a very good option, among others. Maybe I hav became too desperate :)

Why Reza Pahlavi?

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between ruling mullah's agents who are residing in the west and people who have genuine criticism. The fact is that the shah has always been symbol of unity, integrity and strenght of our nation throughout the history. From weak shah such as Soltan Hossaine arose strong man by the name of Nader who brought Iran prosperity and dignity. From wimpy Ahamad shah Qjar arose stong man by the name of Reza shah the Great who modernized Iran to the standard level of European countries. At this critical moments of our country and crisis in Persian Gulf , Iran needs shah more than any other time in it's history. Some one who can unit people under one flag which is a powerful flag of lion with sword in it's hand and crown on it's head. Some one who carries the wishes of our ancestors from many centuries and many generations. Some one who is open to all people's views from different angles. Some one who is the voice of our nation among international community. Some one by the name of Reza Pahlavi who had been trained to be a shah. Reza shah the Great sent his beloved son to Switzerland to be trained to be a Padeshah of Persia. The separation from his son was so painful for Reza khan, but he did it for the future of Iran. Our late shah divorced her beloved wife Soraya because she couldn't have a baby to carry the crown of padeshahi in Iran. It was very painful for our shah to divorce Soraya, but he did it for the future of Iran and our traditional political system which is monarchy.  Reza Pahlavi is well mannered, well educated and can truely represent Iranians among international community and defend Iranian's rights. Reza Pahlavi was raised by lovely mother who is kind hearted and talented lady. She is well known to all Iranian people. May God bless all the family. Payandeh Iran.

                      GOAL : RESTORING MONARCHY