Sallow
The Big Bad Wolf.
Whether or not fear of the Soviet Empire was justified, it played a major role in almost every foreign policy decision back then. China wasn't even a factor then. Even, one of the main reasons that US became close allies with Israel was because the Arabs states had become client puppet states of the Soviets, and the US had just sat and watched the Arabs armed with Soviet weapons attacking Israel. There are also those that believe that another reason the Shah was toppled by the West was because they didn't feel he was strong enough to withstand a Soviet invasion, and an Islamist based state would probably fight better against the communists. Look up "Carter's Green Belt Policy":The Russians did invade Afghanistsn didnt they? Actually Iran was even worse, the height of the cold war, and there we have a so called revolution in an oil rich country which is our ally, has warm water ports, and has control over the Persian Gulf the main artery of oil flow in the world. That's three red alerts if you're the US and NATO allies, especially the warm water ports which was critical for Russia which didn't have any and it would change the balance of power. There was no way the West was going to sit there and see how Iran pans out. And thats probably because they also knew there was never going to be a Democracy in Iran either. As much as the much touted democracy didn't happen after the 79 revolution in Iran or the Arab spring.
Yeah..they did invade. And it wasn't over oil. It was because a government, friendly to them, was besieged by Islamic fundamentalists. Guess which side the US took? It had nothing to do with oil. Well..almost nothing. The Russians were looking for a way to get their oil to market and wanted a pipeline to through that country. However, the US, looking for a way to embarrass Russia...decided it would be a lark to have the nuts win there. Great stuff.
And it's highly unlikely the Russians would have gone to Iran. Outside the Warsaw pact, they weren't all that successful, or very interested in exporting their power, despite American fears..which were ludicrous for the most part. The US has been on this wacked out uber fearful war footing for quite some time. Some of it (and it was probably very little) was well founded. But for the most part, the whole idea of this big amorphous red blob of communism taking over the world was hysterical fear probably which had some roots in the military/oil/industrial complex that a cabal of very rich folks spend alot of time and money fostering.
Iran Politics Club: Shirin Ebadi Show: Heroine of Reforms & Islamic Democracy – Ahreeman X
Jimmy Carter is one of the most indecisioned, weak, tragic and useless presidents that United States ever had! His global foreign policy had brought the US to her knees! His disastrous foreign policies caused America to lose the Panama Canal and along with it Panama to the arms of a Dictatorial Drug Dealing Regime. His catastrophic so-called Human Rights policy had destroyed Iran (1979).
It is strictly Carters bad policy and CIAs sad policy that United States of America had lost her greatest Ally in the Middle East and one of her greatest partners in the world, the Imperial Iran. In returns, America ended up with one of her greatest and formidable enemies in the world, the Islamic Republic of Iran, which after 30 years, they are still at each others throats! Carters sad policies had resulted in the Creation of the Fundamentalism in the whole region. Carters Green Belt policy around the Ex Soviet Union to create an Islamic Green Belt around the Communist Russia, was the main cause for the creation of the IRI in Iran, Taliban in Afghanistan and Al Qaeda in the whole region! In a way, Carter and CIA are largely responsible for the birth of the Neo Islamist Fundamentalism.
Carter gave birth to Khomeini and in returns Khomeini gave birth to the global Islamist Fundamentalism. Carters horrible policies resulted in Americans being held as hostages for 444 days in Iran. Carters disastrous policies had resulted in astronomical rise in the price of gas and breakdown of the Americas prestige as a strong super power around the world. After Carter, every two bit political group or terrorist organization around the world, started to mess with America, kill American military and civilians and hold Americans as hostages. They started calling America the Paper Tiger! So Carter had basically brought grand catastrophe to America. Carter is the father of Liberal Pacifism, Appeasement Policies, and Head Guru of the American Democratic Party. It is directly Carter, CIA and Democrats faults that destroyed the prestige of America around the world, but most important, they are responsible for the destruction of the progressive Iran.
The Imperial Iran was a dictatorship, but at least a progressive, nationalist and a reformable dictatorship. Islamic Republic of Iran is a reactionary and irreformable theocratic dictatorship, which despises nationalism and loves Islam and Islamist Fundamentalism. I still remember that famous speech of Carter in Tehran! At a banquet with Shah present, Carter stated that: Today, Iran is an island of stability in a troubled region! Carter had made this statement exactly at the moment that the whole nation was about to be exploded in a bloody revolution! That was how out of touch were Carter, CIA and the Democrats. Every time Democrats are in power, the United States Foreign Policy goes down the toilet and along with it the American benefits around the globe!
At Shahs time, there were only 3,000 political prisoners in jails. Today there are over 30,000 political prisoners in jails. At Shahs time, there were random executions in Iran. Today, there are monthly murders and once a while mass murders in Iran. Only in the 80s, IRI had mass murdered over 30,000 opposition members and arrested another 30,000 for long prison terms.
The REAL reason for the ouster Mohammad Mosaddegh was he was going to nationalize the oil companies..and boot the Americans and British. So please..the whole "Soviet Empire" thing was a smoke screen for some really bad policy. And part of the reason "Islamics" became so radical was part and parcel with this policy. The Shah employed some pretty deadly methods to squash his opposition and ram his monarchy down the throats of the Iranians. But he didn't cross the line on Mosques, which is where radicals starting hiding out. This fantasy about the benevolent Shah is just that..a fantasy. SAVAK was one of the most brutal secret police organizations in history. That's what led to a more radical and hardened revolution. Even then, the Iranians still had what was in effect a "theocratic" democracy. When they elected Mohammad Khatami it was a message to the west they were ready to become part of the international community. And that message was ignored.
And for all your "critique" about the "weakness" of Carter's policies, it was those policies that eviserated the Soviet Union in some very solid ways. The grain embargo collapsed popular support for the Communist party from within, and supporting "harrassment" tactics in Afghanistan was an embarrassment internationally. Russia had it's own Vietnam. That policy changed from harrassment to victory once Reagan came to power. And the Soviet collapse cost the US plenty.