Yet another terrific piece by Franklin Foer in the New Republic on Reza Pahlavi vs. Khatami as our best hope in Iran.
From America's point of view, Pahlavi should be a deeply attractive figure. He's a liberal who, with our help, could challenge a regime in Tehran that sponsors Hezbollah, defends Hamas, and is developing weapons of mass destruction. He calls the United States a "true beacon of freedom"; he has even quietly met with Israeli officials. When I interviewed him, he took my notebook, wrote the words "secular democracy," and underlined them twice. Yet the risk-adverse diplomats in Foggy Bottom remain entranced by the prospect of détente with the Khatami regime. "We have been in discussions with the Iranians at a variety of levels and in some new ways since September 11," Colin Powell remarked last month after shaking hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi.