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| Mohammed Reza Shah Time Magazine Cover Source: Time Magazine |
As the shah consolidated power, he wanted Iran to be the big player in the Middle East region. Due to global factors such as the demand for oil, and the Cold War Iran is an important piece on the world chest board for the west. The U.S. viewed Iran as essential to blocking the spread of communism due to her location. In the early 1970's when a Marxist group came to power in South Yemen and influenced an uprising in Dhofar, Oman Mohammed Reza Shah sent British mercenaries, weapons and his own soldiers to help put down the insurgency.
Mohammed Reza Shah was pro-Western and this is reflected in Iran's foreign policy The U.S. used soft power in the form of foreign aid to get Iran to sign the Baghdad Pact in 1955. As part of the U.S.'s new human right's initiatives under President Carter the government also pressured the Shah into making reforms in Iran. The U.S. considered him a necessary ally but was also wary of some of his riskier practices such as in 1969 when the Shah decides to challenge the border of the Shatt al-Arab by sending an Iranian Naval ship up the river with the intention to declare war should Iraq open fire.
Dates and historical information taken from Professor Commins' Modern Iran Class, Dickinson College Fall 2014
Interesting look into a figure we don't necessarily hear a lot about! When we think about the government that was overthrown by the Iranian Revolution, it tends to only reference America's loss of influence in the country. We would do well to pay more attention to the actions and policies of individual leaders like this, rather than thinking of Middle Eastern politics only in terms of the external major powers.
ReplyDeleteI think too that that individuals can be a very important factor but when studying individuals in history it's important to understand the contexts in which they're operating. Mohammed Reza's Shah actions would have much different meaning in a different situation.
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