As "Shahrvand" Reza tries desperately to buy time for his incompetent shora and sell his naive agenda for regime change through various channels in a bid to get some media coverage ( you know the mantra ... "I am working hard to save Iran in between vacations photoshooting and encouraging my daughter to become a Fashion Model in NY " ... ok fair enough he may not be saying it exactly in those terms but that is what it boils down to anyways ) the harsh facts on the diplomatic front suggests a very different reality than the one promoted in glossy fashion and royal magazines.
His illustrious mother the Shahbanou will continue no doubt to show a brave glamourous face for Point de Vue Magazine to everyones delight but beyond the polite smiles and sweet nostalgic talks with Western Public figures or politicians during social events in Paris, London or Washington ... none of that will ever translate into any serious political support of anykind be it for the Royal Family and even less for what they are supposed to defend but don't: The Restoration of the Monarchy let alone the "freeing Iran" (as RP often prefers to claim given that defending the monarchy is not his priority) .
Of course RP's Secretariat and unconditional fans (who are anything but genuine monarchists with the slightest political vision but dreamers at best ) will claim the contrary.
The sad and bitter fact remains that nobody sees RP as a serious alternative to the islamic republic which ultimately
RP himself legitimized on the long run by jumping on the Pro Green Bandwagon and the reformist camp.
Whatever capital which could have been used efficiently to promote the genuine monarchist cause was wasted by a Royal family which have served as useful idiots to the west residing Islamic Apologists, ex revolutionaries and NIAC supporters under various disguises.
All this under the very noses of our Naive Royals so worried about political correctness that they ended up becoming the instruments of their own demise and political ineptitude.
So goes the saying in French diplomatic circles these days ...
"Au Revoir Pahlavi ... Bonjour Zarif !"
Translation
Bye Bye Pahlavi ... Hello Zarif !
SIGH ! ...
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Your blog is right on the money on this issue and there really is nothing to say and debate about it.
The problem with expecting a Pahlavi to regain the throne, is that the key critical element is missing. The main ingredient in any Pahlavi Khoresht of returning to power has always been the Yanks!
Pahlavis are the watered down Gourmet Sabzi with way too much Limoo Amani. America is the overcooked wet sticky rice. Which is why the combination never tastes very good.
The loyalists, self styled monarchists, and any other "ists" now who are piling on for the ride, are so hungry and desperate to feed now, that they're willing to forgive the shittiness of the entire meal by spreading some "rosewater" and "saffron" on it.
And shots. They're doing rounds and rounds of shots now.
Cheers!
Bruce must have been real hungry when he wrote the above post.
Bwa ha ha ha
Darius, you were very pro-RP back then on iranian.com, when other people (e.g. Fouladvand, the idols of the Omid Dana whom you adhere today) already predicted and analysed loudly and clearly that RP is NOT a reliable leader and representative of his name. Now that RP himself openly revealed his face, you're following and are bashing him in a rather boring, repetitive and counter-productive way (shahrvand, shahrvand, ... etc.)
It would be better to ask yourself WHY you still supported him back then when many other monarchists and nationalists didn't -- and then draw your conclusions about your own ability to judge wisely in political matters.
To begin with I was, were and am Pro Monarchy not Pro RP ...
When I was supporting RP the term Pahlavism didn't exist or was not understood as it is today. One totally repackaged and redefined by this Shahrvand himself.
Secondly Omid Dana was not bashing RP until quite recently like the rest of us for the reasons any monarchist can understand.
I leave your assessment about my political wisdom for others to judge.
My Support of RP stopped with the creation of his Shora which was an unconstitutional act.
I even blogged about it dated oct 28 2012:
THE HOLLOW CROWN:Upon Obama re election 'Citizen Pahlavi' must partially step out of political arena
As for Omid Dana he did not present himself as a monarchist or nationalist until recently ...
He only joined our likeminds shortly after this debate with Khosro Fravahar dated Dec 22, 2011:
Constitutionalist activist debates with Green activist Omid Dana On RP 2's Leadership
That is barely a year earlier. The two became bitter enemies since because of RP's only accomplishment to date eversince he created his unconstitutional shora : the dissolution of the genuine Constitutional Monarchist movement.
So prior to my own distancing from RP, I supported RP as Constitutional King as any genuine Monarchist would and should have done.
It is RP who changed not me ...
My job as a Monarchist was at best to do damage control prior to his own Political transformation in a bid that he maintains his Regal PRiorities and at the time loyalty to his father's will.
I could see he was distancing himself and clearly saw all his political errors and character shortcomings eversince he started "Crying for Neda" at the National Press Club on the onset of the 2009 upheavels.
On both accounts I tried to do damage control and gave him the benefit of the doubt that regardless of his own inabilities he was still Constitutionally the heir to the peacock throne and his father's last wiil.
But after the creation of his Shora, and the transfer of Iranian Dot Com to the new team of NIAC apologist which JJ sold his website too ... I took time to reflect, observe and follow each and every move RP made since.
He actually appeared with a contribution as a "Human Rights" Activist with a blog for the new Iranian Dot Com website.
I found that very ironic ... meaning that he was actually following my blogs and contributions regularly. I know he has since he even tried to send people to convince me to join his Shora which I did not and refused to do so.
So although I did not vocally express my disappointment here on Iroon Dot Com or on the previous website I did so on social media and FB for the past 3 years to say the least.
And the reason is precisely because I am was and always have been a Monarchist and in the following Order
A) Monarchist
B) Constitutionalist
C) and last Democrat
Not the other way round.
When RP chose to present himself as C) then decided that B) was incompatible with his own agenda of calling for a referendum to change the constitution and considered it obsolete and finally added insult to injury by totally Dropping A)
That is when he himself officially declared he was no more loyal to his father or dynasty and even went about saying that if monarchists questioned him on the future of the dynasty and the incompatibility of seeing him name his daughter as heir he would not go around amending the constitution ( something which I have always said is possible without dropping the constitution as a whole as he has) but will go and support the first female President of the Republic ( something which would rejoice the likes of Massih Alinejad and Shirin Ebadi whom he admires).
That was what in any monarchist tradition would be considered as LESE MAJESTY on behalf of any Heir in ANY Monarchy in the world.
So No Sir
I did not CHANGE nor did I lack Political WISDOM !
It's RP and his die hard followers who did.
My Loyalty to RP was conditional to his own loyalty to his father's will and the 1906 Constitution upon which our loyalty depended upon.
It's when he publically rejected that and that is why I signed the petition which was submitted to him on Radio Farda on whether he considered the 1906 Constitution as legitimate anymore and his oath still relevent ... and to which he clearly and unambiguously responded no. That he no more felt the slightest loyalty to the oath he made in Cairo that my loyalty and that of other of my likeminds dropped and that he became our enemy both in thought and action.
So if anyone who has lacked political wisdom or judgment is RP ...
And probably You yourself who have hardly been able to dissect mine.
So My conscience is clear.
Best
DK
Link to RP's blog in The Iranian please.
I don't have the link ...
but trust me It appeared a month or two after I left the website and JJ had sold it to the fellow from Iranpersonals who then screw up the website with major modifications and in the process much of the content was lost or archived in a messy way.
RP posted a blog under his own name presenting himself as a "human rights" activst and advocate for democracy.
He used No royal titles
Thanks for taking the trouble.
It could have been the re-post of his article in Huffington Post where he clearly identified himself as a human right activist.
He recently had another article in Huffington Post where he decided to add Crown Prince title for good measure!