Shapour Bakhtiar, a former opposition leader, is made Prime Minister by the departing Shah, in order to quiet things down. Bakhtiar quickly makes plans for a more inclusive Majlis or Parliament. Bakhtiar lasts a grand total of 36 days. He made some big mistakes during his premiership, the biggest miscalculation was allowing Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to re-enter Iran. Khomeini, in 1964, had been forced out of the country by the Shah and spent more than 14 years in exile, mostly in the city of Najaf, Iraq.
Ruhollah Khomeini was forced to leave Iraq by then Vice President Saddam Hussein. We all remember him. It is hard to believe but Khomeini ended up in France on a tourist visa. However on February 1, 1979, Khomeini returned in triumph to Iran.
Ruhollah Khomeini adamantly opposed the provisional government of Shapour Bakhtiar, and appointed his own government. In fairly short order Khomeini was in complete control of a new and radical Islamic Republic. In November 1979, the new constitution of the Islamic Republic was adopted, and Khomeini himself became the Supreme Leader. A scary title if I do say so myself. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini remained Supreme Leader until his death in 1989.
Three decades have passed since the installation of a radical cleric lead government in Iran. The current President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose re-election is in serious dispute, really reports to, and gets his support from, the current Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Council of Guardians, all of whom are clerics.
Today, Iran is a dangerous, socially repressive, economic basket case.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Islamic Moral Brigades, are famous, for roaming the streets of major cities, to enforce the government's crackdown on "immodest dress." President Ahmadinejad and the clerics who rule Iran are very busy. When not occupied with enforcing dress rules on women, they are busy:
- building a nuclear weapons capability
- supporting and funding Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist activities
- saying that Israel should be wiped off the face of the map
- denying that "gay" people exist, if you don't exist, you don't have rights
- the government admits that inflation is at 23%
- Iran's unemployment is 25%, and 1 out of 4 Iranians live in poverty according to the Council on Foreign Relations, (a highly regarded think tank headquartered in New York City)
Given all of the above, and more, much more, Iran could use a regime change. A new regime could usher in the most basic of freedoms, human rights for all, the separation of Church and State and institutions to protect and enhance civil life.
I have to tell you, it is very sad watching leaders of democratic countries, especially the United States acting like timid puppies regarding this near revolution in Iran. If our leaders can't forcefully and with passion speak out for basic freedoms, they should be ashamed, and then step aside.
Good luck to the people of Iran.
