Word: iranian
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Shah had alienated almost all elements of Iranian society. Westernized intellectuals were infuriated by rampant corruption and repression; workers and peasants by the selective prosperity that raised glittering apartments for the rich while the poor remained in mud hovels; bazaar merchants by the Shah-supported businessmen who monopolized bank credits, supply contracts and imports; the clergy and their pious Muslim followers by the gambling casinos, bars and discothéques that seemed the most visible result of Westernization. (One of the Shah's last prime ministers also stopped annual government subsidies to the mullahs.) Almost everybody hated the police terror...
...what they heard from the monarch, who dismissed all opposition as "the blah-blahs of armchair critics." Even after the revolution began, U.S. officials were convinced that "there is no alternative to the Shah." Carter took time out from the Camp David summit in September 1978 to phone the Iranian monarch and assure him of Washington's continued support...
...most powerful influence that cemented Khomeini's hold on his country is the spirit of Shi'ism?the branch of Islam to which 93% of Iran's 35.2 million people belong. In contrast to the dominant Sunni wing of Islam, Shi'ism emphasizes martyrdom; thus many Iranians are receptive to Khomeini's speeches about what a "joy" and "honor" it would be to die in a war with the U.S. Beyond that, Shi'ism allows for the presence of an intermediary between God and man. Originally, the mediators were twelve imams, who Shi'ites believe were the rightful successors...
...American people do not seem upset with the muted reaction of U.S. allies. When asked if they agreed that "the Iranian situation has shown the U.S. has no real friends in the world," 71% said they disagreed. A similar majority (72%) felt Washington's reaction to the crisis had proved to the world that we are "tough and ready to stand up for our beliefs." Nearly half (44%) felt that the U.S. handling of the situation had increased America's prestige abroad; 26% said that U.S. prestige had decreased, while 23% believed there had been "no difference." Nearly...
...Shah ever had: Savior of the Generations, Defeater of the Oppressors, Imam of the Age." Zonis believes , that the Ayatullah and the Shah "are a lot alike as leaders. Neither is particularly intelligent, but each is shrewd and cunning. Each is determined to impose his views on the Iranian people. Khomeini is ending up the same kind of ruler that the Shah was?namely grandiose, arrogant, despotic...