Word: shahs
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Azhari maintained that the Shah retained the support of the "silent people," the majority of his countrymen. The truth, however, is that much of the Shah's support has evaporated, except among the military, the well-to-do and the peasants. The country is staggering under a burden of rampaging inflation (current rate: 50% annually) and economic chaos engendered by the Shah's feverish efforts to modernize his backward nation within the space of a decade or two. There is no responsible opposition, his critics claim, because he has banned political expression for 25 years. The result...
...belatedly trying to cope with the grim prospect that one of the West's staunchest and most strategically placed allies might be on the verge of collapse. Ever since serious popular unrest first broke out in Iran last August, the Administration had been voicing its support for the Shah and its confidence that he could prevail. Scarcely a year ago, in fact, the President had been busy planning his first big overseas trip; one of its high points was an elegant New Year's Eve celebration with the Shah in Tehran. Last week, when asked whether he thought...
Administration aides bristled when asked if Ball was in fact working on a blueprint for a "post-Shah Iran," but that surely was part of his assignment. Another part: to ponder the impact of Iran's instability on nearby Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials are exceedingly worried about the vulnerability of this sparsely populated, semifeudal monarchy, which possesses the world's largest proven oil reserves (150 billion bbl.). Admits one Administration official: "It gives me the willies just thinking about Saudi Arabia...
...neither Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, en route to the Middle East, nor most other high-level Administration officials wanted to say anything at all on the subject-on or off the record. Over the past few months, the U.S. has offered a variety of suggestions to the Shah, all designed to encourage him to press on with his liberalization campaign. For the long term, the Administration tends to favor the idea of a transition to constitutional monarchy in Iran, with the Shah retaining a unifying, if largely symbolic role. But right now the Administration is refraining from making suggestions...
Despite the Shah's widespread unpopularity, there were indications last week that some of his opponents might still be willing to reach some kind of compromise with him. After his release from detention, National Front Leader Sanjabi, 73, a social democrat, denied speculation that he might help form a coalition government; this would be impossible, he said, under "existing conditions." He proceeded to describe Sunday's mass demonstration in Tehran as a "referendum in the streets" that would lead, he hoped, to a "true referendum to determine the kind of government Iran is to have...