Anniversary of Shah going into Exile – Will History Repeat Itself?
Today is the 31st anniversary of the shah going into exile. The shah became corupted by his power and began to oppress the people of iran. It was a great day when he was forced to leave.
Now we have another leader who is no longer wanted by the people because of what he has begun to do. He has allowed protesters to be arrested, inprisoned, tortured and raped. He has allowed the economy to become destroyed, even though Iran should be a wealthy country with its oil and gas and large population of inteligent people. He has made himself rich, with his family and other clerics, using money that should belong to the people of Iran.
I found this video which points out comparisons between the situation with Khamenei now and the situation just before the shah escaped from Iran:
It is a funny video but also very serious. The shah stole money from the Iranian economy and put it in banks in other countries so he would be able to continue his rich lifestyle if he ever left Iran. There is information that Khamenei has done the same. There are also stories about him having prepared his plane so it is ready for him to leave.
Perhaps history will repeat itself and again Iran will see the end of a corupted leader. But he should be prevented from taking too much of the countrys money with him.
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You would think that a religious leader, who is totally committed to his beliefs, would not be willing to pack up and run, even when facing threats from his people.
However, I don’t really think that these are religious leaders. They are political leaders, who use religion as a lever to consolidate political power.
Therefore, the Ayatollah may well decide, in the name of expediency, to give up his hold on power.
The problem is, however, that until the right political system is in place, a transfer of political power into the hands of someone else, will not cure the problem. The kinds of changes in the system envisioned by the Green Movement, will allow for the possibility of not only a new leader, but also a new type of plitical leadership, since the power and obligations of the leader will be checked and balanced, and will be help accoutable to the will of the people, in the form of free and fair elections.
Churchill used to say that democracy is the worse form of government, except for all others. I think he was right. Democracy confers power to individuals, but keep that power checked by competing sources of power, and holds that power accountable to the people, who can express their approval or disapproval in an orderly way, in the form of free and fair elections. This structured system for “venting” helps to keep order, even in the face of the potential for disorder.
I think a reorder of the current Iranian political status quo is more likely than a total revolution. A total democratic revolution would mean the ousting of the Supreme Leader position. Iranian political system has some vital democratic institutions but are fundementally flawed in that the Supreme Leader and the mullahs’ council has authority over all of them. There is no checks and balances between the executive (Supreme Leader), the judiciary, and the legislative branches of government.
When protesters chant “Death to the dictator”, do they refer to Ahmadinejad, and not to the Khamenei?
I think that some mean Ahmadinejad, others mean Khamenei and others do not mind which. Some of those who dont support Khamenei probably still believe in the Supreme Leader position, but I am not sure how many. Does anyone have a view?
People need a face on which to pin their resentment. But really, it’s not this person or that. It’s the system itself. The people on the street are beginning to embrace a shared sense of wisdom, and they realize that the system itself is not working for the greater good. Regardless of who is in power, the system that is in place does not allow the people, or the nation for that matter, to realize their full potential. Everyone is being kept down: spiritually, economically, ideologically, etc. All hope is dashed. The promise of the first revolution has not materialized, and the people want to believe that they can right the wrongs of the past, and usher in a new age of hope. But everything has a price, and the question becomes; at what price are we willing to confront the forces that stand in our way.
On the subject of Khamenei and money Ive just found this video about him. Its very funny. Its an official regime video of Khameneis house but someone has added a comment that its his house not Khameneis.
http://bit.ly/5nl3gY