farmdoc's blog post number 297

Thirty years ago today, His Imperial Majesty Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, thus ending over 2,500 years of continuous monarchy since the founding of the Persian Empire. The Shah was no angel – the brutality of his secret police, Savak, is legendary – but at least he was secular and pro-Western. In its 30-year life to date, the Islamic Republic of Iran has become the hottest bed of Sharia law, suppression of women, and Holocaust denial. Also, directly as well as via its puppet surrogates Hamas and Hezbollah, virulently anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic and anti-Western, resulting in its inclusion in President Bush’s infamous ‘axis of evil’. It feels medieval – with a modern twist given its nuclear and space programmes. Because Iran’s a totalitarian place – its elections aren’t open and democratic, and there’s no separation of government, judiciary and clergy – it’s impossible to determine what the-man-in-the-Iranian-street thinks about it, and how he’s faring. And as to Iranian women’s views – well, forget it. Iran’s arguably the greatest geopolitical challenge currently facing President Obama and other world leaders of goodwill. I wish them well. Limiting Iran’s power by curtailing its petrodollar income is a worthwhile initial aim. Finally, on a micro level, you should know that all the packaged dates in our Woolworths and Coles supermarkets come from Iran.