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{{Short description|1977 speech by U.S. president Jimmy Carter}}
{{Short description|1977 speech by U.S. president Jimmy Carter}}
[[File:ShahCarter.gif|thumb|[[Jimmy Carter]]'s speech in the [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Shah]]'s party]]
[[File:ShahCarter.gif|thumb|[[Jimmy Carter]] with [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi|Mohammed Reza Pahlavi]] at the [[Niavaran Complex]] in [[Tehran|Tehran, Iran]], December 1977.]]


'''Island of Stability''' was the phrase that [[Jimmy Carter]] used to describe the circumstances of [[Iran]] under the leadership of the last [[Shah]] of Iran, [[Muhammad Reza Pahlavi|Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] in Christmas period of 1977, just one year before the [[Islamic Revolution]].
"'''Island of Stability'''" is a phrase that became the namesake for a 1977 speech by American president [[Jimmy Carter]], while he was being hosted by [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] at the [[Niavaran Complex]] in the city of [[Tehran]], [[Pahlavi Iran|Iran]]. It was a reflection of Iran's circumstances — regarded as a stable country and a bastion of the [[Western Bloc]] in what was otherwise an unstable [[Middle East]] under the influence of the [[Eastern Bloc]] — and the importance placed on Pahlavi's rule by the [[United States]]. Carter's speech was made one year before the [[Iranian Revolution|Islamic Revolution]], in which Pahlavi's monarchical state was overthrown and replaced by the [[Iran|Islamic Republic]].


==Place and date==
==Place and date==
[[Jimmy Carter]], 39th [[President of the United States]], traveled to [[Iran]] in late December 1977. On New Year's Eve, in the [[Niavaran Complex]], he made a speech during which he said, "Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troubled areas of the world."<ref name="Hiro">{{cite book|author=Dilip Hiro|title=Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge Revivals)|date=5 September 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8QwrtpxdMQC&q=island+stability+iran&pg=PA1|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135043810|pages=Introduction}}</ref><ref name="Ganji">{{cite book|author=Manouchehr Ganji|title=Defying the Iranian Revolution: From a Minister to the Shah to a Leader of Resistance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NboVl-CeYs0C&q=An+Island+of+Stability+iran+carter+niavaran&pg=PA42|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780275971878|pages=42}}</ref> Also, in this speech he called [[Muhammad Reza Pahlavi|Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]] a popular king among [[Iranian peoples|Iranians]].<ref name="Harney">{{cite book|author=Desmond Harney|title=The Priest and the King: An Eyewitness Account of the Iranian Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R6xQ9-CvdJgC&q=The+Priest+and+the+King:+An+Eyewitness+Account+of+the+Iranian+Revolution.|year=1999|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781860643743|pages=2}}</ref><ref name="Thiessen">{{cite book|author=Mark Thiessen|title=An Island of Stability: The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Dutch Opinion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aAfEhkidr8AC&q=island+stability+iran+carter|year=2009|publisher=Sidestone Press|isbn=9789088900198|pages=43}}</ref>
In late December 1977, Carter visited Pahlavi in Iran. At a party for [[New Year's Eve]], held in Tehran's Niavaran Complex, he made a speech describing the American stance on Iran's place in the world order, stating: "Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troubled areas of the world";<ref name="Hiro">{{cite book|author=Dilip Hiro|title=Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge Revivals)|date=5 September 2013|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8QwrtpxdMQC&q=island+stability+iran&pg=PA1|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135043810|pages=Introduction}}</ref><ref name="Ganji">{{cite book|author=Manouchehr Ganji|title=Defying the Iranian Revolution: From a Minister to the Shah to a Leader of Resistance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NboVl-CeYs0C&q=An+Island+of+Stability+iran+carter+niavaran&pg=PA42|year=2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780275971878|pages=42}}</ref> he also described Pahlavi as a popular king among the Iranian people.<ref name="Harney">{{cite book|author=Desmond Harney|title=The Priest and the King: An Eyewitness Account of the Iranian Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R6xQ9-CvdJgC&q=The+Priest+and+the+King:+An+Eyewitness+Account+of+the+Iranian+Revolution.|year=1999|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781860643743|pages=2}}</ref><ref name="Thiessen">{{cite book|author=Mark Thiessen|title=An Island of Stability: The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Dutch Opinion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aAfEhkidr8AC&q=island+stability+iran+carter|year=2009|publisher=Sidestone Press|isbn=9789088900198|pages=43}}</ref>


==Consequences==
==Consequences==
After this speech, Mohammad Reza felt encouraged to proceed to further suppression of his opponents. One week later, on Saturday, January 7, 1978, the article "[[Iran and Red and Black Colonization]]" was published in ''[[Ettela'at]]'' under a [[pseudonym]], targeting [[Ayatollah Khomeini]]. Following the article's publication, several protests occurred in [[Mashhad]], [[Qom]], and [[Tehran]]. Also, Khomeini condemned Carter's speaking and declared the [[Shah]], Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, to be a [[tyrant]] and a [[traitor]].<ref name="Alhoda 2001">{{cite book|title=Islamic Revolution of Iran: A Sociological Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dyRmUvf7bRMC&q=Islamic+Revolution+of+Iran:+A+Sociological+Study|year=2001|publisher=Alhoda UK|isbn=9789644723070|pages=102–104}}</ref>
After Carter's speech, Pahlavi felt encouraged further suppress his political opponents. One week later, in January 1978, the article "[[Iran and Red and Black Colonization]]" was published in ''[[Ettela'at]]'' under a pseudonym, targeting [[Ruhollah Khomeini]]. Following the article's publication, several protests occurred in [[Mashhad]], [[Qom]], and [[Tehran]]. Khomeini condemned Carter and described Pahlavi as a tyrant and a traitor to the Iranian nation.<ref name="Alhoda 2001">{{cite book|title=Islamic Revolution of Iran: A Sociological Study|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dyRmUvf7bRMC&q=Islamic+Revolution+of+Iran:+A+Sociological+Study|year=2001|publisher=Alhoda UK|isbn=9789644723070|pages=102–104}}</ref>


==Analysis of the support==
==Analysis of the support==
[[Ahmad Zeidabadi]] believes Carter was aware of the sporadic protests against Mohammad Reza in Iran and knew that Iranian society was unstable, so it seems he described Iran as an island of stability to strengthen Pahlavi and to reassure him of the U.S. government support for him.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|title=Carter administration and Iran's revolution|url=http://www.bbc.com/persian/iran/2009/01/090129_ir_carter.shtml|website=BBC Persian}}</ref> [[Sadegh Zibakalam]] says the speech was based on Carter's false impression of Iran's circumstances and believes Americans were unable to see the coming [[Iranian Revolution]].<ref name="Zibakalam">{{cite book|author=Sadegh Zibakalam|title=End of mirage: An introduction of Islamic revolution|pages=154–157}}</ref>
Iranian journalist [[Ahmad Zeidabadi]] claimed that Carter was aware of the regional instability spurred by sporadic protests against Pahlavi's rule in Iran, and so he made the speech for Pahlavi as a reassurance of American support.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|title=Carter administration and Iran's revolution|url=http://www.bbc.com/persian/iran/2009/01/090129_ir_carter.shtml|website=BBC Persian}}</ref> Iranian academic [[Sadegh Zibakalam]] has stated that the speech was based on Carter's false impression of Iran's circumstances, and that the American government misjudged the true scope of the Islamic Revolution.<ref name="Zibakalam">{{cite book|author=Sadegh Zibakalam|title=End of mirage: An introduction of Islamic revolution|pages=154–157}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 10:27, 19 January 2023

Jimmy Carter with Mohammed Reza Pahlavi at the Niavaran Complex in Tehran, Iran, December 1977.

"Island of Stability" is a phrase that became the namesake for a 1977 speech by American president Jimmy Carter, while he was being hosted by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi at the Niavaran Complex in the city of Tehran, Iran. It was a reflection of Iran's circumstances — regarded as a stable country and a bastion of the Western Bloc in what was otherwise an unstable Middle East under the influence of the Eastern Bloc — and the importance placed on Pahlavi's rule by the United States. Carter's speech was made one year before the Islamic Revolution, in which Pahlavi's monarchical state was overthrown and replaced by the Islamic Republic.

Place and date

In late December 1977, Carter visited Pahlavi in Iran. At a party for New Year's Eve, held in Tehran's Niavaran Complex, he made a speech describing the American stance on Iran's place in the world order, stating: "Iran is an island of stability in one of the most troubled areas of the world";[1][2] he also described Pahlavi as a popular king among the Iranian people.[3][4]

Consequences

After Carter's speech, Pahlavi felt encouraged further suppress his political opponents. One week later, in January 1978, the article "Iran and Red and Black Colonization" was published in Ettela'at under a pseudonym, targeting Ruhollah Khomeini. Following the article's publication, several protests occurred in Mashhad, Qom, and Tehran. Khomeini condemned Carter and described Pahlavi as a tyrant and a traitor to the Iranian nation.[5]

Analysis of the support

Iranian journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi claimed that Carter was aware of the regional instability spurred by sporadic protests against Pahlavi's rule in Iran, and so he made the speech for Pahlavi as a reassurance of American support.[6] Iranian academic Sadegh Zibakalam has stated that the speech was based on Carter's false impression of Iran's circumstances, and that the American government misjudged the true scope of the Islamic Revolution.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dilip Hiro (5 September 2013). Iran Under the Ayatollahs (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. pp. Introduction. ISBN 9781135043810.
  2. ^ Manouchehr Ganji (2002). Defying the Iranian Revolution: From a Minister to the Shah to a Leader of Resistance. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 42. ISBN 9780275971878.
  3. ^ Desmond Harney (1999). The Priest and the King: An Eyewitness Account of the Iranian Revolution. I.B.Tauris. p. 2. ISBN 9781860643743.
  4. ^ Mark Thiessen (2009). An Island of Stability: The Islamic Revolution of Iran and the Dutch Opinion. Sidestone Press. p. 43. ISBN 9789088900198.
  5. ^ Islamic Revolution of Iran: A Sociological Study. Alhoda UK. 2001. pp. 102–104. ISBN 9789644723070.
  6. ^ "Carter administration and Iran's revolution". BBC Persian.
  7. ^ Sadegh Zibakalam. End of mirage: An introduction of Islamic revolution. pp. 154–157.
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