That is why I am writing this series. We do not yet know how the current Iranian story ends, but understanding the past is the only way to make better choices about the future. Iranians have perfectly rational reasons to distrust the West; that much is obvious. The question is what realistic alternatives exist. The angry students of the late 1970s never imagined they were clearing the way for an autocratic theocracy, and from our position at arm’s length there is only so much we can shape — nor should we want to get any closer.
Interesting isn't it that a righteous movement for justice and fairness frequently ends with the same corruption it meant to correct. When power is wrenched from one and taken by another, it inevitably corrupts the later just as it did the former.
That is why I am writing this series. We do not yet know how the current Iranian story ends, but understanding the past is the only way to make better choices about the future. Iranians have perfectly rational reasons to distrust the West; that much is obvious. The question is what realistic alternatives exist. The angry students of the late 1970s never imagined they were clearing the way for an autocratic theocracy, and from our position at arm’s length there is only so much we can shape — nor should we want to get any closer.
Interesting isn't it that a righteous movement for justice and fairness frequently ends with the same corruption it meant to correct. When power is wrenched from one and taken by another, it inevitably corrupts the later just as it did the former.
Some thing never change--except the actors.