Omid Safi Short Presentation of Iran History at Duke University talk

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Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and author of the Religion News Service blog "What Would Mohammed Do?" gives a brief overview of Iran/US history up to the present day, in about 15 minutes. Safi delivered his 11/14/13 remarks as part of a panel discussion held at Duke -- titled "A New Iran? " -- that included distinguished scholars from Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill. Watch the YouTube video that goes along with this powerpoint here: http://youtu.be/c6xhvN0qUIE MORE INFO ON THE PANEL DISCUSSION: Sponsored by the Duke Islamic Studies Center's ISLAMiCommentary project and the Forum for Scholars and Publics at Duke, the panel and members of the public and area university community explored the history of U.S.-Iranian relations, domestic politics, human rights, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's notion of political power, and Iran's rapprochement with Western countries and its implications for the region. The panel was moderated by Abdeslam Maghraoui, an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Department of Political Science at Duke University. Panelists also included: Ali Reza Eshraghi: Iranian Journalist, IWPR Iran project manager, and Teaching Fellow at the Department of Communication Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill Mohsen Kadivar: Visiting Research Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, Iranian dissident, global ethics fellow with the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs

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Morgan Shuster The Strangling of Persia (1912):

[I]t was obvious that the people of Persia deserve much better than what they are getting, that they wanted us to succeed, but it was the British and the Russians who were determined not to let us succeed.

Reza Shah Pahlavi (1925-1941)

“Would His Highness kindly abdicate in favor of his son, the heir to the throne? We have a high opinion of him and will ensure his position.

But His Highness should not think there is any other solution.”

Mohammad Reza Shah: 1941-1979

Mohammad Mossadegh & the 1953 CIA coup

CIA SAVAK MOSSAD

“Intelligence”/Espionage/Torture

Trained by CIA and Israeli MOSSAD

Transformed to Sazman-e Ettela'at va Amniat-e Melli-e Iran after the Revolution

Madrasa Fayziyye

“2500” Anniversary of Persian Empire

Cyrus as cover for Human Rights violations

Our imperial history, as everyone knows, began with the famous declaration of Cyrus, which is surely one of the brightest documents on behalf of the quest for freedom and justice in the history of humanity.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Enqelaab-e Sefid [“White Revolution”]. 1345/1966 .

No country in the world has a worse record in human rights than Iran.

Amnesty International, 1975.

“Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah,

is an island of stability…” President Carter 1978

Rise of anti-US sentiments

Ayatollah Khomeini

Enter: “The Ayatollah”

Demonstratio

ns & flag-burning

Take-over of US Embassy

Reactions against Iranian-Americans

8-year Iran Iraq War

America as the Great Satan

President Khatami: Dialogue Among Civilizations

Iran as Axis of Evil

"Iran aggressively pursues these weapons [of mass destruction] and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the Iranian people's hope for freedom. ...

States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world.”

--President George W. Bush, Jan. 29, 2002

Ahmadinejad vs. Khamenei (Supreme Leader)

Sanctions against Iran

Green Movement

Hassan Rouhani

Rafsanjani supports Rouhani

Khatami supports Rouhani

Which America? Which Iran

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