While the Shah himself was a pretty unsavory guy, his exiled son Reza has become one of the more influential voices in the pro-democracy movement, and is a better man than his father. He recently gave an interview on American television, and made some decent points.
I wrote the other day about how happy I was to see President Bush talking directly to the Iranian people, rather than just speaking to their gaolers. Here are Reza's thoughts:
""Engagement and dialogue is much better than containment and isolation," said Mr. Pahlavi. "What is important for the people of Iran, however, is, after so many years of suffering, they would love to see the international community, for a change, shift their focus on them [their aspirations], rather than trying to cut a deal with the current regime. . ."Posted by Discoshaman at janvier 5, 2004 12:24 AM | TrackBackMr. Pahlavi said President Bush has always taken care to distinguish between his criticism of Iran's leaders and his feelings toward the country as a whole. He said that has not gone unnoticed by the people of Iran.