Gouya Roshan From Darkness to Light

The Mouse Wouldn’t Go Into the Hole, Yet It Tied a Broom to Its Tail Sometimes certain words remind me of an old proverb: The mouse wouldn’t go into the hole, yet it tied a broom to its tail. In other words, some people have not even made sure they can get through the hole, yet they have already equipped themselves with flags and loudspeakers! For example, some people say that Reza Pahlavi speaks on behalf of the Iranian people. This is exactly one of those cases. I don’t understand; has a revolution taken place and we somehow missed it? Or has he become king while we are still asleep? What I mean is: On behalf of which people? On behalf of me, as an Iranian? On behalf of the millions of Iranians who do not want him? On behalf of those who oppose the monarchy? On behalf of those who want the Islamic Republic? Or only on behalf of a small section of people outside Iran who support him? Of course, he is completely entitled to say: “This is what my supporters and I want.” There is nothing...

A Republic with a Sultan and a Crown Prince Turkey is still a republic; don’t worry, the crown has not disappeared from the museum! Yet some political practices are so reminiscent of a monarchy that it is as if history has quietly slipped in through the back door. In a republic, power should naturally come from the people and ultimately return to the people. But when a politician remains at the center of power for more than two decades, while the names of his family members repeatedly appear within the same sphere of influence, we are no longer talking about just one politician; we are talking about a culture of power—a culture in which power gradually reproduces itself. Because when power that has been in the hands of one person for more than two decades begins to move closer to his family, or the path for its transfer to the family is gradually paved, an unavoidable question arises: Are we still dealing with the power of a republic, or with power merely wearing the clothes of a repub...