Winds of Change: The Future of Democracy in Iran(audiobook)

Forced to become a normal citizen, the exiled son of the late shah of Iran attempts to provide understanding and direction for his country and its people. Audiobook: Narrated by Mark Ashby Quality: 64kbps Table of Content: Introduction Ch1 - My Vision and Outlook Ch2 - Iran At The Crossroads Ch3 - Oil Energy and The Economy Ch4 - Foreign Policy Ch5 - The Iranian Diaspora Ch6 - Constitutional Monarchy Ch7 - Non-Violence and Civil Disobedience Ch8 - The Inevitable Implosion Conclusion After more than two decades under the rule of a clerical dictatorship, Iran is mired in backwardness, poverty, corruption, obscurantism, rigidity, radicalism, and incivility. Yet there is hope for the future. In Winds of Change, Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late shah of Iran, outlines his vision for a democratic Iran. Forced to live in exile since the establishment of the clerical regime in 1979, he has been a leading advocate of freedom, democracy, and human rights for Iranians. As he says in Winds of Change, I write as a passionate citizen with a deep sense of duty. Along with many of my dedicated and committed compatriots, I look at our national predicament and strive to find solutions. Phalavi's prescription for the salvation of his homeland is simple: popular sovereignty and self-determination. Iran is a politically diverse society, with leftists and rightists, monarchists and republicans, conservatives, centrists, and liberals. Yet all can agree on the basic agenda he puts forward for his countrymen: To promote a national consensus on key issues such as the need for democracy, secularism, human rights, and popular sovereignty. To adopt a robust yet nonviolent political strategy for bringing about political change. To set the stage for an all-inclusive national referendum that will enable the people of Iran to determine the type of democratic government they wish for their homeland.

The real struggle in Iran today pits the forces of state despotism and terrorism against an emerging popular movement that demands democracy, rejects militant fundamentalism, and repudiates supreme rule. But Iran can ill afford yet another bloody upheaval. As Pahlavi shows, he is committed to bringing about political change in Iran by way of a campaign based on organized civil disobedience and nonviolent action. A democratic Iran will guarantee a popularly elected system of government with checks and balances and a clear delineation of power. This will ensure a vibrant civil society wherein people of different ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic groups, and political persuasions will coexist peacefully while rebuilding their homeland. Iranians are a gifted people with a great civilization. It is time to give them the political system they deserve.

The son of the deposed Shah of Iran reflects on Iran's political situation (without mentioning his father) and argues for a campaign of civil disobedience to the current Iranian regime that would hopefully lead to a constitutional monarchy restoring a Pahlavi to the throne of Iran. He discusses energy policy, foreign policy, and the Iranian Diaspora suggesting that the policies of the current clerical leaders of Iran have led to disastrous results for the Iranian people. He counters this with some rather bland bromides about international cooperation, secularization, self-determination, and cultural preservation. If brought back to the throne, he claims he will consult all of the Iranian people in governing the nation. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR