[lit-ideas] Of demons and men
- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2006 23:30:20 -0800
I'm currently reading Robin Wright's The Last Great Revolution, Turmoil and
Transformation in Iran. I previously read her In The Name of God, The
Khomeini Decade, so I have a very good feel for what Wright thinks of
Khomeini. In both of her books she describes Khomeini entering the Iranian
Revolution with traditional Shiite beliefs, esp that Religious leaders
should not be in governmental leadership positions. He made several
announcements to that effect. His intention was to stay out of government
unless there was some problem he needed to referee. But as time went on he
was drawn more and more into government until when the Iranian constitution
was eventually written, he became the Velayat-e Faqih, the Supreme Leader.
I'm also reading Kenneth Timmerman's Countdown to Crisis, the Coming Nuclear
Showdown with Iran. Timmerman addresses the same facts Wright does, but
draws very different conclusion - think Andreas' views on Bush. In
Timmerman's view Khomeini wasn't drawn into anything, He was orchestrating
a clever plot. He intended to be the Veleyat-e Faqih from the beginning.
He played reluctant and hard to get to get the people behind him - to get
them to demand that he become the Supreme Leader.
I'm uncomfortable with Timmerman's approach to Khomeini. I don't trust
conspiracy theories. I fully accept the idea that we are each capable of
all sorts of things we don't think we are capable of as long as we aren't
tempted by them. I accept that if we are subjected to strong temptation we
shall, most of us, succumb. So I can accept that Khomeini may have been
tempted to compromise his Shiite beliefs when he had the opportunity to
become (of felt the necessity to become) Veleyat-e Faqih. But I find it
hard to believe in the cynical conniving Khomeini that cleverly planned
everything in advance. If he was that cynical, clever, and conniving, then
why did he make so many other mistakes? For example, he got rid of the
Shah's American weapons, and nuclear development sites. A Shiite trusts in
Allah, not in American technology and weapons, Khomeini said. But when the
war with Iraq started, his people begged him to change his mind and let them
get some decent weapons to fight Saddam with; which he reluctantly agreed
to, and then they had to go to a source, the USSR, they hadn't used before
which necessitated inordinate delays and learning curves.
Timmerman has demonized Khomeini while Wright has described a human being
who happened to be the religious leader who became the Supreme Leader of
Iran. I shall be happy to read anything else I can find by Robin Wright. I
shall be very reluctant to read another book by Timmerman.
Lawrence
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