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This week Hudson hosted Reza Pahlavi, the former crown prince of Iran and son of Iran's final monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was deposed during the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
As Iran approaches a defining moment in its history, increasing numbers of its citizens are turning out onto the streets to protest the regime. In the context of Soleimani's death and heightened tensions, Mr. Pahlavi discussed the shared values of the Iranian and American people and how the United States can support Iran's citizens in their aspirations for freedom.
Watch the event or catch a few of the highlights below.
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A look at former crown prince Reza Pahlavi's speech and discussion at Hudson Institute this week.
The shooting down of Flight 752:
After four days of deplorable obfuscation, the regime was forced to take responsibility for the murder of 176 innocent men, women and children, but only because of international scrutiny and persistence. Imagine a slightly different fact pattern - an Iranian airline, a domestic route with no foreign or dual nationals. We would never have learned the truth. Leading democracies like Canada and the United States have a decisive role to play in holding this regime accountable. This latest episode is a compelling illustration of the impact they can have.
What Western journalists get wrong:
Just a few weeks ago, in more than 150 cities and towns [in Iran], the regime massacred an estimated 1,500 protesters. Iranians at home and on social media [question] how little coverage the protests of last month got in Western media as opposed to recent coverage due to the killing of Qassem Soleimani. Being selective in reporting is not the best image to convey if you are talking about a free world where information is crucial in order to make decisions. Some of the responsibility is in the hands of the free press. If you're supporting protesters in Hong Kong, if you're supporting protesters in Venezuela, the same should apply to Iran.
Today's young Iranians:
People smell the opportunity for the first time in 40 years this time - very different than 2009, even very different from 1997. Today's generation of young Iranians cannot take it anymore. They want to have an opportunity for a better future. The only thing that stands between them and the free world is this regime - a regime that is squandering our national resources to maintain its proxies with a war it has with the world and a regime that cannot claim that it did not have an opportunity in 40 years to normalize and to take care of its own people.
It's time for free elections:
The only way to measure ultimately what people want or desire is the ballot box. We have never had in our entire history free elections in Iran, have we? Isn't it about time we belong to the 21st century rather than the medieval ages?
The first step towards normalcy would be the elections of the first Majles of this new democratic system. And, of course, the result of the first election organized by political parties to form the first government of this new democracy. Now, under this regime, no political parties can form. But they can certainly start thinking about it. They can certainly plan their agendas. Political pluralism has to be, at all times - at all times - observed in Iran.
America’s role:
America is more than ever divided when it comes to internal politics. On behalf of the silent majority that cannot openly state it back home but would like me to use this platform to convey again to you that when it comes to Iran, we want Democrats and Republicans in America to realize that we, the Iranian people, demand the same freedoms and the same rights as you enjoy in this great democracy of yours in America. And regardless of what domestic argument you have, do not let that affect your unconditional support to our cause.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity
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Go Deeper: Hudson on the Region
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F [[link removed]] reedom Stages a Comeback [[link removed]]
In Tehran and elsewhere, protests in support of freedom and anti-authoritarianism are giving Western democracies a reason for optimism, notes Hudson Distinguished Fellow Walter Russell Mead in The Wall Street Journal.
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Restoring Deterrence in the Middle East [[link removed]]
Hudson Senior Fellow Michael Doran joins PBS NewsHour to examine how Soleimani's killing was part of the Trump Administration's broader strategy to end militia attacks on US troops in Iraq.
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On Proportionality Trump’s Tweet is Wrong, but His Actions Are Right [[link removed]]
There is statecraft, and then there's tweetcraft. Hudson Senior Fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs examines President Trump's recent Iran tweets and policy decisions in Providence Magazine.
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