Tragedy or Farce? America's Troubled Relations with Iran
1990; Oxford University Press; Volume: 14; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1111/j.1467-7709.1990.tb00102.x
ISSN1467-7709
Autores Tópico(s)Islamic Studies and History
ResumoFormer President Ronald Reagan once referred to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's revolutionary Iran as an “outlaw state run by the strangest collection of misfits, Looney Tunes, and squalid criminals, since the advent of the Third Reich.”1 The reference to Looney Tunes persuades us of both the authenticity and fervor of presidential feelings. In the world of bland public discourse this was strong stuff indeed. Few Americans seemed to care that the Great Communicator was almost totally ignorant about Iran. He had expressed their feelings. One detects more than outrage here, however. As in any stormy divorce, there lies under the harsh rhetoric some sense of confusion and hurt feelings. Next to Vietnam, Iran must stand as the most conspicuous failure of American foreign policy in the post-World War II era. Leading Americans expressed their support for and confidence in the survival of the Pahlavi regime almost until the day the shah fled in January 1979. The revolution not only took most of official Washington by surprise but it also created a grave threat to national security interests. Six years later Ronald Reagan evidently authorized the sale of arms to “squalid criminals.” The Irangate scandal left Americans once again embarrassed and bewildered before the world community.
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