I've just watched a great BBC programme on Iran with some fantastic footage of the Shah in the 1970s. I'd forgotten how he tried to militarize his country (using oil revenue) into almost a superpower with one of the largest armies in the world. The interviews were compelling viewing - he came across as pregnant with arrogance, associating the various interviewers with their countries of origin (UK mainly) and lecturing them on how the West was in terminal decline. Little did he know... I think I'll have to read Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Shah of Shahs" to compare with his masterful description of Haile Selassie.
Then there was Jimmy Carter toasting him on new year's eve with champagne - a Muslim leader celebrating a Christian festival with alcohol. The beginning of the end... The second part of the documentary is in two weeks time.
OK - there's a real life situation. Now find the knowledge issue!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
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I remember watching the documentary too (i don't know if i will be able to watch the next installment, i haven't paid for my subscription - maybe we can find ways to raise money for a worthy cause, kamau's Dstv.)
Iran and America provide a lot of fodder for the knower, or better still, for the seeker. In some respects, we can argue that the Shah reflected a situational pragmatism that was later perfected by Bill Clinton.
For a student of history, it is particularly interesting for Parallels can be drawn with Batista from Cuba, Chiang Kai-Chek of China, the list is endless, especially in Latin America. It seems like America, by dining and wining with the Shah, prepared the way for ayatollah Khomeini. Ooh, by the way, last month was the Iranian Revolution’s 30-year anniversary. Can we find a real life situation to do with the launch of the satellite?
I wonder how you can derive a knowledge issue for your situation without moralizing. How did a country that birthed culture and civilization turn to a religious person for redemption? That does not even sound like a TOK question. Okay, this is hard, somebody take over. Somebody take over.
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