Where Was the Shah's Army?
Abstract
This study attempts to determine why the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was successfully overthrown by a religion, Shiite Islam. The investigation is focused on the large and powerful Imperial Iranian Armed Forces, the Shah's political authority for over thirty-seven years, who had been trained and equipped by the US Department of Defense since the early fifties. In 1978, the Islamic clergy led the opposition movement against the Shah of Iran's repressive regime and political rule in the form of mass demonstrations, and during 1978, riots reached into hundreds of cities, towns, and remote villages with fatalities estimated in excess of 5,000. Americans, and westerners in general, know surprisingly little about Iran or its culture; perhaps causing internal problems without ever knowing it. Furthermore, the unprecedented, enormous, and totally indiscriminate military sales to Iran gave the Shah, or his armed forces, a sense of omnipotence. Iran requires a new and probing look based on the events since February 12, 1979, and may force the US to reconsider its position as a major arms merchant; it may further require as assessment of our foreign policy towards the third world. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 06, 1980
- Accession Number
- ADA093770
Entities
People
- John M. Smith
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College