Iran: The Struggle for Democracy

Zhou Enlai of China once said, “One of the delightful things about Americans is that they have absolutely no historical memory.” Perhaps the former Chinese premier was being too harsh, but then again maybe he wasn’t. Take the case of Iran. Some people remember the 1979 hostage crisis when Iranians stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 53 Americans hostage. But how many recall the coup the U.S. engineered that put the Shah back in power thus crushing democracy in Iran? The consequences of the coup were enormous and ultimately led to the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. While Iran remains a repressive theocracy the struggle for democracy, spurred by women and young people, continues.

Interviewed by David Barsamian.

Speaker: Nader Hashemi
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