Subject: Â Â Â FW: Reza Pahlavi of Irans Speech at the University of Nebraska
Date: Â Â Â October 7, 2006 10:13:16 AM PDT
To: Â Â Â Â michael@michaelbutler.com
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From: “RP Secretariat’s mailing list”
Date: Thu, 5 Oct 2006 19:32:27 -0600 (MDT)
To: grgolsorkhi@earthlink.net
Subject: Reza Pahlavi of Irans Speech at the University of Nebraska
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It gives me great pleasure to be with you today, and to share with you some
of my thoughts and concerns, as well as some of my hopes and aspirations
regarding my country and its future.
Let me begin by saying that the arrival of Ayatollah Khomeini on the Iranian
political scene in 1979, firmly established Iran as the cradle and bastion
of modern day Islamic fundamentalism. Since then, people everywhere, when
speaking of Iran, have generally associated my homeland with such modern day
scourges as the rise of militant Islam and international terrorism. More
recently, these concerns have become further exacerbated by a rising fear
that the Islamic leadership in Iran is also seeking to equip itself with
nuclear weapons.
Lately, the terrible hostilities that raged for 34 horrible days last summer
between Hezbollah and Israel, brought to light another new and undeniable
reality concerning the inseparable links that have now come to exist between
issues and players in the wider Middle East. The clerical regime in Teheran
has been actively exploiting regional grievances in order to promote its own
agenda, using surrogates such as Hezbollah and Hamas across the Moslem
world.
Only by grasping the true significance of this new development and its
implications for international security, can there be some hope of
meaningful cooperation and coordination in trying to contain the efforts of
an oil rich rogue state that has no compunction in promoting violence and
terror in distant lands as a cynical ploy to distract attention away from
its own domestic unpopularity and colossal failures.
In my view, it would be a grave mistake to either under-estimate or
trivialize the threat that is posed by the theocratic dictatorship in Iran,
for the following reasons:
As the first contemporary theocracy to establish itself in a major state,
the Islamic regime in Tehran has been able to use the vast resources of Iran
to energize other radical fringe elements while promoting its own concept of
militant Islam, coupled with militant anti-Americanism throughout the
Islamic world. Moreover, the Islamic regime has, at a philosophical level,
been a main obstructing bloc in the crisis that is confronting the world of
Islam with such important contemporary notions as progress and modernity.
Today, this can be seen clearly through the Iranian regime‚s vigorous
support for anti-status quo, die-hard fundamentalist causes across the
Islamic world, as well as uncompromising Islamists and Jihadists in places
like Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine.
Whether in promoting radical Islam or the pursuance of its own narrow
interests ˆ something that is most assuredly separate from the national
interest of the Iranian nation ˆ the regime in Tehran has always relied and
continues to rely on such tools as subversion and terrorism, as well as
utter disdain for well established norms in international law. Here, let us
not forget the occupation of the US Embassy in Teheran and the taking and
holding of American diplomats as hostages, or more recently, the regime‚s
total disregard for the wishes of such bodies as the IAEA or the United
Nations‚ Security Council. In the latter case, everyone here is well aware
of the fact that, irrespective of continuous assertions and assurances given
by the Islamic authorities, there is no doubt in any one‚s mind that the
regime seeks to ensure and insure the continuity of its evil existence by
equipping itself with nuclear weapons and the means for delivering them to
targets well beyond Iran‚s h!
istorical threat perimeters.
On a separate note, without wishing to sound alarmist, I would like to point
out that behind the spoken words and the prevailing doctrines adhered to by
the ruling establishment in Iran, there are clear indications that there is
a real clash of civilization between the clerical regime‚s interpretation of
Islam and mainstream moderate Islamic teachings ˆ let alone other modern and
more secular concepts contained in modernity and liberalism. In truth, and
irrespective of certain „PR campaigns‰ such as the ill-fated project of
former Islamist President Khatami, called the „Dialogue of Civilizations‰,
this, in fact, is a clash that they have sought to promote among their
various spheres and circles of influence within the Islamic world.
Having said all this, I wish now to say a few words about the internal
picture in Iran by focusing first on the country‚s dire economic situation.
It is a fact that Iran has 1% of the world‚s population and 7% of the
world‚s resources. Furthermore, while the country enjoys abundant energy
resources, it is also blessed by a young and educated work force. However,
since 1979, my homeland has faced steady economic decline as a consequence
of its general mismanagement and the inability for coming to grip with
certain recurring economic problems ˆ such as a chronic over-dependency on
the oil income, an antiquated bureaucracy, an untrusting „private sector‰,
as well as corruption and inefficient monopolies reserved for the select
regime loyalists. Added to this cocktail of ills is the regime‚s reliance on
massive „subsidies‰ which have brought forth double-digit inflation and the
doubling of the national budget deficit during Mr. Ahmadinejad‚s first year
in office.
Today, with unemployment and inflation both well over 20%, there is
general consensus amongst experts that the Iranian economy is in full
recession with general demand for goods and services seriously down. The
situation is further exacerbated by the regime‚s increased militancy with
respect to its foreign affairs, bringing into question the regime‚s vision
and strategy for turning the economy around.
In the social and political sphere, the regime has displayed no compunction
whatsoever in using whatever force has been required for savagely containing
a population that has been the primary victim of its ineptitude in every
conceivable field. The regime‚s failure in various economic, social,
cultural and political issues have inadvertently led to a situation that
over the past 27 years, thousands of freedom loving Iranians have been
either imprisoned, tortured, executed at home or exiled and assassinated
abroad, simply because of their refusal to submit to what is no more than a
vicious „Islamic Apartheid‰ system that makes mockery out of such notions as
democracy or popular sovereignty. These actions have now brought my homeland
to the edge of a new precipice that is already showing signs of open
resistance and violence amongst Iran‚s much neglected ethnic populations ˆ
be they in Khuziztan, Baluchistan, Azebaijan or Kurdistan. It is important
to point out that unrest in !
these areas pose a major threat, not just to the stability and the
territorial integrity of Iran, but for Iran‚s neighbors and the region as a
whole. There is no exaggeration when one speaks of the Islamic regime‚s
bloodstained record of total disdain and disregard for the human rights and
individual liberties of all Iranians, and specially the youth and women of
our country.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Having squandered the initial trust of the Iranian people, today the main
aim of the Islamic regime in pursing the policies that it does, is to remain
in power at all cost. Backed by the wealth of the Iranian nation, they have
taken refuge behind an invisible wall they have constructed between
themselves and the people. Their strategy for survival is to blackmail the
outside world into inaction while intimidating and brutalizing their own
citizens at home. To achieve this end, they will stop at nothing∑
So what can be done to address this seemingly uncontrollable cancer that has
already destroyed the peace of mind and prosperity of the Iranian people,
and is threatening to spread its poison everywhere else in the Middle East
and the Islamic world? How do we begin addressing a serious issue of this
nature that has proven, over and over again, that it will not simply vanish
in face of half baked measures and empty rhetoric?
In my view, it is essential that those who are countering fanaticism and
extremism under the banner of liberal-democratic values, should, first and
foremost, try and respond to certain important philosophical and searching
questions: For instance, why has secularism has been under such severe
strain in the Middle East? Could they have possibly aggravated matters
indirectly by having failed to understand or show sensitivity to the kind of
social, economic and political pressures confronting their secular allies ˆ
past and present?
In my view this is an important question that needs to be addressed if only
to reaffirm the belief that extremists and fanatics who purport to have the
almighty on their side, are nothing but fakes who are incapable of
resurrecting either national pride or national self esteem, let alone
overseeing a just society that values notions such as freedom and diversity.
It thus follows that secular democrats in Iran and across the Middle East
need to be supported and propped up so that they can successfully meet the
challenges that are posed by extremists and fundamentalist.
Moreover, in the case of Iran, it is important that an image be conveyed
that the United States can help the ordinary people of Iran out of the jam
they are in by raising their depleted morale. Care needs to be taken to
portray secular democratic leaders, as enlightened and patriotic figures who
are risking everything for their people. It should be stressed, in no
unmistakable way, that they will never compromise on any issue that is
against the interest of their people. In this regard, lessons learned from
Iraq can be usefully employed to avert certain avoidable impediments, by
enhancing the notion that US allies are honorable people, who are both
popular and well capable of gaining the trust and respect of their people.
Also, it must be reiterated that Iran will not be a carbon copy of Iraq and
any positive change towards democracy will not result in chaos.
At the same time it is important to emphasize that Iranians who are urged to
stand up against the current dictatorship, are also most concerned that they
should not be sold out or compromised. The example of what happened to
Iraqis in 1991 is vivid in my compatriots‚ minds. Hence, any diplomatic
overtures towards the current regime must show sensitivity by taking this
factor into consideration, if only to ensure that repeated appeals ˆ such as
those made by President Bush to the Iranian people ˆ are neither diluted nor
made to look disingenuous. Therefore, communicating in a meaningful way with
the Iranian people, while at the same time projecting the image that the
United States wants to support the people of Iran in their quest for
democracy and human rights, is a key factor that will continue to require
added attention as we move forward. But let me be forthright by affirming
that words alone cannot be enough!
In closing, let me say that I firmly believe that one of my country‚s unique
features is the fact that it is the ripest candidate for the promotion of
democracy and civil society in the Middle East. Hence, what is needed is to
continue with the messages of support for our people, while actively looking
for practical ways of making those messages actually make a difference on
the ground. Even then, the peaceful path for promoting the change we all
seek will not be an easy one. But, my compatriots and I will take heart by
knowing that we are not alone. Have no doubt that we are determined to save
our country and secure our future by bringing democracy and modernity for a
well deserving nation. As such, Iran will once again be and reliable partner
for the free world in contributing to greater peace and stability in our
region and beyond.
Thank you!
http://www.rezapahlavi.org/University-of-Nebraska-10052006.html
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