Mohammed Reza Pahlavi Quotes
The great powers claim that whatever they possess is theirs by right, but whatever we, the smaller countries possess is negotiable.
Alam, Asadollah. The Shah and I: The Confidential Diary of Iran's Royal Court, 1969-1977. I.B. Tauris, 1991.
The reason that his quotation is memorable is that it illustrates how rapidly political norms can change. Here in 1872, there was general agreement that imperialism was undesirable. By the turn of the century—only 27 years later, imperialism would be the accepted foreign policy of the United States with only a minority holding to is undesirability such as Mark Twain and his Anti-Imperialist League.
This is the kind of threat that was used by Germany before the First World War. It worked with Turkey, but King Albert realized that being an “ally” of Germany meant losing independence anyway. Belgium would not join Germany, so the Germans invaded Belgium in 1914. Belgians fought with the allies and at the end of WWI, they were able to rebuild their independent state and thrive until they were again invaded by Germany in WWII. Turkey, in contrast, lost their entire empire, as a result of their fighting as German allies in WWI.
1st Baron & 1st Marquis Curzon of Kedleston
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, also known as Mohammad Reza Shah (محمدرضا شاه), was the last Shah (King) of Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow in the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979. Due to his status as the last Shah of Iran, he is often known as simply the Shah.
