Winds of change : the future of democracy in Iran / Reza Pahlavi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pahlavi, Reza, 1960-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--Iran.

Democracy.

Iran.

Iran--Politics and government--1997-.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

152 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 20 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, DC : Regnery Pub. ; Lanham, MD : Distributed to the trade by National Book Network, [2002]

Summary:

After more than two decades under the rule of a clerical dictatorship, Iran is mired in backwardness, poverty, corruption, obscurantism, rigidity, radicalism, and incivility. Yet there is hope for the future. In Winds of Change, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, outlines his vision for a democratic Iran. Forced to live in exile since the establishment of the clerical regime in 1979, he has been a leading advocate of freedom, democracy, and human rights for Iranians. As he says in Winds of Change, "I write as a passionate citizen with a deep sense of duty. Along with many of my dedicated and committed compatriots, I look at our national predicament and strive to find solutions." Phalavi's prescription for the salvation of his homeland is simple: popular sovereignty and self-determination. Iran is a politically diverse society, with leftists and rightists, monarchists and republicans, conservatives, centrists, and liberals. Yet all can agree on the basic agenda he puts forward for his countrymen: To promote a national consensus on key issues such as the need for democracy, secularism, human rights, and popular sovereignty. To adopt a robust yet nonviolent political strategy for bringing about political change. To set the stage for an all-inclusive national referendum that will enable the people of Iran to determine the type of democratic government they wish for their homeland.

The real struggle in Iran today pits the forces of state despotism and terrorism against an emerging popular movement that demands democracy, rejects militant fundamentalism, and repudiates "supreme rule." But Iran can ill afford yet another bloody upheaval. As Pahlavi shows, he is committed to bringing about political change in Iran by way of a campaign based on organized civil disobedience and nonviolent action. A democratic Iran will guarantee a popularly elected system of government with checks and balances and a clear delineation of power. This will ensure a vibrant civil society wherein people of different ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic groups, and political persuasions will coexist peacefully while rebuilding their homeland. Iranians are a gifted people with a great civilization. It is time to give them the political system they deserve.

Contents:

2 Iran at the Crossroads 35

3 Oil, Energy, and the Economy 47

4 Foreign Policy 61

5 The Iranian Diaspora 69

6 Constitutional Monarchy 77

7 Nonviolence and Civil Disobedience 93

8 The Inevitable Implosion 103.

ISBN:

089526191X

OCLC:

47863266