I worked in Iran during the last years of the Shah-an-Shah. It was a very prosperous country with a very Westernised outlook. All religions were tolerated, Armenian Christian churches, Zoroastrian temples, Jewish synagogues and Bahai temples alongside many beatiful mosques that were open to all visitors. The Shah's palace in Shiraz (where I was based) was open to the public when he was not in residence, beautiful gardens everywhere, the tombs of Hafez and Saadi (two of the great Persian poets) visited by many people every day.

The Shah was not the problem - some of his family (especially his sister) were - very corrupt and very conspicuous spenders/consumers of all luxuries.

His big mistake was allowing Ayatollah Khomeini to live - he was exiled to Iraq in the mid sixties, then moved to Paris, as France thought they could disrupt the British influence in Iran. If Khomeini had been quietly put away, we would not have the Iran we have today. Maybe we would have had a communist state, as the USSR had a contiguous border with Iran and a lot of influence in the North, but not the religious fanaticism that we have today throughout the Middle East. Jimmy Carter failed to support one of the Western world's most capable neighbours in the Middle East and we are still reaping the problems that this caused.

JC is as big a war criminal as Tony Bliar in this respect. Both should be hung.

Agree completely with your observations and what you wrote.

I went through the revolution mostly in Tehran but I did have some short stints in Isfahan and Kermanshah.

I got tear gassed a couple of times and my driver's car shot up big time once. He patched it up and picked me up to go to work without a front windscreen, heat and lights...and it was snowing like crazy. We got some strange looks on the road that day.

Yes, Carter was useless and he remains so to this date.

"Yes, Carter was useless and he remains so to this date."

Not if you live in Africa and need a new house.

Actually Mossadeq fixed the "democratic" election which is why he was ousted from power.

Mossadeq was ousted from power in a coup orchestrated by the CIA and requested by MI6 (Operation Ajax).

The UK government was unhappy about the fact that Mossadeq had nationalised the oil industry and sidelined the UK's single most valuable foreign asset (the Anglo-Iranian Oil company - latterly BP). The CIA then went on to train SAVAK, the Iranian secret police which spent 30 years terrorising the people of Iran. The situation in Iran today is a direct result of that coup.

The situation in Iran today is a direct result of President Jimmy Carter throwing the Shah of Iran under the bus in 1978 by withdrawing US support for the Shah's government. This led to the Islamic Revolution of 1978/79 and resulted in the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in January 1979.

So it wasn't our fault that we put a repressive dictator into power but it was our fault that we eventually stopped supporting him?

Actually Mossadeq fixed the "democratic" election which is why he was ousted from power.

Mossadeq was ousted from power in a coup orchestrated by the CIA and requested by MI6 (Operation Ajax).

The UK government was unhappy about the fact that Mossadeq had nationalised the oil industry and sidelined the UK's single most valuable foreign asset (the Anglo-Iranian Oil company - latterly BP). The CIA then went on to train SAVAK, the Iranian secret police which spent 30 years terrorising the people of Iran. The situation in Iran today is a direct result of that coup.

The situation in Iran today is a direct result of President Jimmy Carter throwing the Shah of Iran under the bus in 1978 by withdrawing US support for the Shah's government. This led to the Islamic Revolution of 1978/79 and resulted in the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in January 1979.

So it wasn't our fault that we put a repressive dictator into power but it was our fault that we eventually stopped supporting him?

It's all about DIVIDE AND CONQUER..., like we don't give sh_t who rules as long as we are in control......and the states we can't control we sh_t upon...

LaoPo

It's a shoddy way of running an empire actually, putting a small elite minority in power and then getting disappointed when they turn out to be greedy and incompetent.

Probably the most successful US "colonies" were places like the Philippines which they administered themselves.

There's a huge difference in the situation back in Iran during the revolution after the Shah period and change into Ayatollah Khomeini's Iran in comparison with the present unrest in the Arab world.

There was no internet and other sophisticated social media and the (secret) police and army were too powerful to allow any uproar.

The mass demonstrations/Green revolution in Iran almost 2 years ago after the elections ended dramatic and many people were also brutally battered; others were killed, executed and disappeared; Like now in Egypt, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the internet were taken off the air to gag the people.

We know the result and the regime is still in power, more stronger than before.

the Arab world today

The biggest threat in ALL of the Arab countries is the fact that 60% of the Arab population is below 25 years of age; that's an enormous danger because of many combining factors and reasons:

* large percentages of young people have no work and no income and are still living with their parents and dead poor

* they are unable to settle down, engage and marry because they have NOTHING and are unable to rent or buy a house or even "think" about a dowry

* because of internet and other social media they interconnect very fast and are able to communicatein a way that wasn't possible 10 years ago.

* today I watched a documentary whereby many -educated- young men and women were asked about their future and possibilities to marry; the answers were sad and without any positive outlook in the future; many have already given up, trying to find a partner because they're not able to "present" themselves to the families of the other sexe, they wish to engage or marry with.

All this combined is a very explosive situation and the end is not near....

Mubarak is still in his palace...all kind of political shiftings going on and the US and Europe are shouting what they want but he's still there......I wonder, like everybody else, what will come out of this but this guy is a tough and proud selfish cookie to crack.

It wouldn''t surprise me if "they" give him the opportunity to back off slowly and let him stay in his palace near Sharm el Sheikh and grant him immunity....BECAUSE he has been so good for the region during 20 years and helped (co-) creating peace, under the supervision of the US and a little bit by Europe...

Peace at the cost of his own people....a country with the same population as Germany, around 82 million.

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

And if 60% of those people are younger than 25 you have the ingredients, creating a massive explosion.

LaoPo

Actually Mossadeq fixed the "democratic" election which is why he was ousted from power.

Mossadeq was ousted from power in a coup orchestrated by the CIA and requested by MI6 (Operation Ajax).

The UK government was unhappy about the fact that Mossadeq had nationalised the oil industry and sidelined the UK's single most valuable foreign asset (the Anglo-Iranian Oil company - latterly BP). The CIA then went on to train SAVAK, the Iranian secret police which spent 30 years terrorising the people of Iran. The situation in Iran today is a direct result of that coup.

The situation in Iran today is a direct result of President Jimmy Carter throwing the Shah of Iran under the bus in 1978 by withdrawing US support for the Shah's government. This led to the Islamic Revolution of 1978/79 and resulted in the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in January 1979.

So it wasn't our fault that we put a repressive dictator into power but it was our fault that we eventually stopped supporting him?

Yeah, that pretty well sums it up.

"Yes, Carter was useless and he remains so to this date."

Not if you live in Africa and need a new house.

Are you claiming I can show up in Africa and get a new house built by Carter?

Just for the record, HFH built 2,823 new homes in Africa (and the Middle East) in F/Y 2010, rehabilitated and repaired another 8,065.

Africa and the Middle East have an estimated combined population of over 600 million. Do you really believe HFH has made a dent in the housing problems in Africa?

http://www.habitat.org/support/report/2010/annual_report_2010.pdf

No, but I do think you are taking my remark way too seriously.

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

most Egyptians would agree to disagree with this statement. and so does the official name of "masr/misr" which is (spellings vary) al-Joumhouriya Misr al-Arabiyah = Arab Republic of Egypt.

Carter was useless and he remains so to this date

a man of integrity, did not start any wars, did not interfere too much in politics of foreign countries... useless indeed!

Carter was useless and he remains so to this date

a man of integrity, did not start any wars, did not interfere too much in politics of foreign countries... useless indeed!

Jimmie Carter, interest rates 18%. America had never seen anything close to 18 percent before. It nearly killed my business.

The Iran hostage crisis. Jimmy blinked and the world especially extremists saw the US as a toothless tiger.

Thatcher and the Falklands. Israel Entibbe. JFK and Cuban missile crisis leaders all.

I certainly don't speak for all Americans but Carter will go down in my mind as the President who began our decline in credibility and started Muslim extremists attacking Americans and American holdings all over the world and wrecked the economy.

No, but I do think you are taking my remark way too seriously.

Are you now saying your original statement wasn't meant to be taken seriously?

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

most Egyptians would agree to disagree with this statement. and so does the official name of "masr/misr" which is (spellings vary) al-Joumhouriya Misr al-Arabiyah = Arab Republic of Egypt.

Egyptians still aren't Arabs no matter what they started calling their country the past 58 years.

No, but I do think you are taking my remark way too seriously.

Are you now saying your original statement wasn't meant to be taken seriously?

No, I meant what I said "...TOO seriously."

Africa and the Middle East have an estimated combined population of over 600 million.

Africa alone has ca. 1 Billion people.

LaoPo

Africa and the Middle East have an estimated combined population of over 600 million.

Africa alone has ca. 1 Billion people.

LaoPo

Thank you. That makes the home building even more insignificant.

Oops. Am I being TOO serious?

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

most Egyptians would agree to disagree with this statement. and so does the official name of "masr/misr" which is (spellings vary) al-Joumhouriya Misr al-Arabiyah = Arab Republic of Egypt.

Egyptians still aren't Arabs no matter what they started calling their country the past 58 years.

Egyptians are the descendants of one of the lost jewish tribes. to hide that fact they speak arabic in public and ancient hebrew only in their homes.

The Egyptians are not Arabs, and both they and the Arabs are aware of this fact. They are Arabic-speaking, and they are Muslim —indeed religion plays a greater part in their lives than it does in those either of the Syrians or the Iraqi. But the Egyptian, during the first thirty years of the [twentieth] century, was not aware of any particular bond with the Arab East... Egypt sees in the Arab cause a worthy object of real and active sympathy and, at the same time, a great and proper opportunity for the exercise of leadership, as well as for the enjoyment of its fruits. But she is still Egyptian first and Arab only in consequence, and her main interests are still domestic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptians

They walk differently as well.

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

most Egyptians would agree to disagree with this statement. and so does the official name of "masr/misr" which is (spellings vary) al-Joumhouriya Misr al-Arabiyah = Arab Republic of Egypt.

I have worked with many Egyptians over the years. I learnt very quickly not to refer to them as Arabs.

'We are Egyptians - the oldest civilisation - and we speak Arabic' is the most polite reprimand I have received.

The Egyptians are not Arabs, and both they and the Arabs are aware of this fact. They are Arabic-speaking, and they are Muslim

Except for the Coptic Christian part of the population.

There used to be a large Jewish population as well, but they drifted North, following their ancestors past the Red Sea, through Sinai.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/crisis-in-egypt/coptic-christians-shoulder-to-shoulder-with-muslims-in-tahrir-square/article1896554/

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/07/5785968-coptic-christians-just-want-to-be-treated-like-egyptians

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

most Egyptians would agree to disagree with this statement. and so does the official name of "masr/misr" which is (spellings vary) al-Joumhouriya Misr al-Arabiyah = Arab Republic of Egypt.

I have worked with many Egyptians over the years. I learnt very quickly not to refer to them as Arabs.

'We are Egyptians - the oldest civilisation - and we speak Arabic' is the most polite reprimand I have received.

yeah right! Eshypshans look down on other Ayrabs and call them "Bedous" whereas them Ayrabs despise the "Fellaghas" and make fun of them because they travel to Giddah and go for Hagg to Maggah.

Arabs as a matter of convenience, as it becomes convenient for we Australians to think of ourselves as Asians.

(A point hotly disputed by former Malaysian Prime Minister, the good Doctor Mahathir bin Mohamad).

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

I think you got too confused with UG's introduction of "Egyptians" when talking about Iran. Iranians aren't Arabs.

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

I think you got too confused with UG's introduction of "Egyptians" when talking about Iran. Iranians aren't Arabs.

Pakistanis aren't Arabs either.

But, Egypt, having the largest population of them all is part of an Arab world with some 350 million people!

Egyptians aren't Arabs.

I think you got too confused with UG's introduction of "Egyptians" when talking about Iran. Iranians aren't Arabs.

Pakistanis aren't Arabs either.

they are not?

Arabs as a matter of convenience, as it becomes convenient for we Australians to think of ourselves as Asians.

(A point hotly disputed by former Malaysian Prime Minister, the good Doctor Mahathir bin Mohamad).

And by John Howard, who said that Australia was not in Asia but contiguous to it; hence Australians are not Asians.

Arabs as a matter of convenience, as it becomes convenient for we Australians to think of ourselves as Asians.

(A point hotly disputed by former Malaysian Prime Minister, the good Doctor Mahathir bin Mohamad).

And by John Howard, who said that Australia was not in Asia but contiguous to it; hence Australians are not Asians.

How can Australians be Asians?

Asia is a continent.

Australia is a continent.