The Diplomatic Archives of Ardeshir Zahedi

Diplomatic archives are of valuable importance for historians, but as any source, it should be considered with critical attention.

Shah´s long standing ally and friend, Ardeshir Zahedi - that he described as ´my friend, my father-in-law and beloved King´ - is living since the fall of the regime in his father´s Villa des Roses in Switzerland, somewhere near Montreux and Chillon. A US and UK ambassador to Iran in the 1960s and the minister of Foreign Affairs, he belongs to a family with a steady presence in the Iranian history. His father, General Zahedi, was a short-time replacement of Mossadeq, but has a very tormented political relationship with the Pahlavis and died far away from the country he was exiled from. His mother belongs to the family of Hossein Pirnia (Mo´tamen al Molk) active at the beginning of the 20th century in the political modernisation of Iran. His sister, Homa, represented Hamadan in the Parliament.

Zahedi - his name means ´people of piety´ - graduated agricultural studies at the Utah University but he got mentions for his diplomatic service and a relatively juicy source of gossips for the various court intrigues - that seem to almost got him killed by a bomb after he married Princess Shahnaz, the only child of the Shah and the Egyptian Princess Fawzia Fuad. Zahedi and his wife introduced Farah Dibah to the Shah. Their own marriage was short lived though and Shahnaz, who also lives in Switzerland remarried later Khosrow Jahanbani, son of a top general member of the Qajar dinasty and a St. Petersburg-born Russian aristocrat. 

The handwritten notes by Zahedi published in the volume Window into Modern Iran may not be always all informative relevant but are just a small part of a wider collection that was donated to the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. There are handwritten notes translated from the original Persian, as well as a couple of English telegrams, ´thank-you´ letters but also accounts of various meetings on local issues, such as King Faisal or the King of Jordan. The discussion with King Faisal, for instance, focuses on the dangers of Saddam Baath party for the regional balance, as well as its threats for the traditional Shi´a places of worships in Iraq. It is a mindset of someone who is not religious, part of a government that encouraged secularism, but acknowledging the religious significance of historical connections.

Zahedi remained a patriot of Iran, a patriotism that he understood in his own way. Loyal to his King - the highly respectful ways in which he addresses the Shah in the correspondence is an example of protocolar communication - and one of the few to not leave him as he was forced into Exile - he even made tremendous efforts to secure entry for him, not always successful (for instance, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan refused it) - he also never gave up his country. He remained a proud Iranian and in his frequent public appearances he is never using radical judgements against his people. Ardeshir Zahedi is decent presence in a radicalized public space. 

The Law of Blood. Inside the Nazi Mindset

Going deep into the mindset of a political and intellectual movement requires a lot of attention and hard work. From the small details of the everyday ways of thinking, an academic analyst can pursue the mentality pattern, its genesis, reproduction and alterations. In times when the far right is becoming a frequent mention in political reports, it is about time to return to a recognition process of their roots.

La Loi du Sang. Penser et agir en nazi (The law of blood. Think and act as a Nazi), by Johann Chapoutout that I´ve read in the original French language, is a well research investigation into the history of the Nazi mentality. It focuses on Germany, based on an exhaustive investigation of an impressive intellectual sources and production that covers several decades.

Despite the amount of information filtered, used and quoted, the author succeeds in organising the material in a systematic way, covering main topics which describe the best the intellectual Weltanschauung of the Nazi regime. 

There are so many subjects that are explored in addition to the main topics which help to reveal the deep Nazi mentality. For instance, the relationship between human and nature, which continues to permeate the right (alt-right) mindset, as it assesses a global perspective where the human individuality should be abandonned, mirroring the supreme categorisation based on racial categories. An authentic return to the essentiality of the race is passing through the return to the natural human condition that, according to the intellectual supporters of this idea was derailed by both the Jewish and Christian interpretations of nature. The opposition to ritual slaughtering which is a current thema nowadays has its roots in the cruelty against animals (Tierquälerei) a predilect topic in the Nazi works.

Also nowadays, we can easily read and hear, in newspapers, social media and in the public discourse politicians and media pundits complaining about how the society was corrupted by foreigners who are accepted into the body of the nation if they are following not only the neutral laws, but equally the traditions and cultural norms of the majority (Leitkultur). 

I´ve found this book a real revelation which at a certain point frightened my mind, as I recognized so many patterns of thinking spread all over the public discourse in Germany and abroad. Book like La Loi du Sang are such a helpful intellectual tool for those who will not give up in tracing and countering the far-right intellectual pollution of the public space. It is also a good reminder that the mentalities do have a long history and dealing with all the details of a specific topic is such an extraordinary adventure of the mind.

Rating: 5 stars

#FreeNasrin

In a world half of the time devoid of role models and glamour on rust, there are women fighting for the right of their children to a lies-free world. Women like Nasrin Sotoudeh and Narges Mohammadi in Iran, for instance.

Nasrin Sotoudeh is a human rights activits in Iran, active in defending especially children and women rights and opposer of death penalty and compulsory hijab. Mother of two, she is one of the bravest and most genuine voices in Iran, a role-model for all the prisoners of conscience all over the world. A voice for the voiceless. Modest, humble, strong in her belief in building a better world.

Sotoudeh, who was released shortly a couple of weeks ago, is serving a 38-year sentence for her human rights activism. 

Directed by Jeff Kaufmann, the movie Nasrin, recently released at the Berlin Human Rights Film Festival, was filmed illegally in Iran. From the fragments of various testimonies and snapshots from Sotoudeh´s everyday life, the movie draws the portrait of one of the most inspirational women of this century. There are many women and dissidents associated those days with the fights for rights in Iran, vocal and highly promoted. Nasrin Sotoudeh belives in what she is fighting for with no reward in sight. Her humble fight on behalf of those lacking the right justice and basic freedoms is an example of humanity. Together with Shirin Ebadi, who also appears in the movie, and Narges Mohammadi who appears episodically, Nasrin Sotoudeh is the voice of the prisoners of conscience from Iran and all over the world. 

Nasrin is the diary of a woman whose main superpower is fighting on behalf of the powerless. Strong against tyranny by the force of her fragility.

Academic Freedoms under Attack

Academic freedoms, scholars and students are under threat from governments and non-state military actors from all over the world, according to the latest report issued by Scholars at Risk Network. Covid19 created additional pressures and problems for the academic realm, with universities positions reduced and online harassment increasing. 

It´s my first time reading this report and found it very relevant for the state-of-the arts of academia nowadays. It copes less with legislation and more with different itrusive, aggresive and violent actions of state and non-state actors against members of academia. 

All over the world, campus and academics are not a convenient partner. Universities are places of dissent due to their main intellectual mission. Although supported by the state, financially and logistically, they are the guarantee of freedom and progress. When academics are in chains, the whole country is so. When academics are under permanent threat, including physical one, like in the case of Afghanistan, for instance, where Talibans are regularly raiding campuses and academic compounds killing ramdomly students and teachers, the higher the political and social risks im the country. 

For me, it was interesting to follow up the dramatic situation of the academic life in Yemen, after five years of intense civil war, as well as the latest development in Turkey, where academic life is under threat for years following the escalation of Erdogan´s power, a situation that practically forced many academics to leave the country.

Such reports are very important for the state of the world nowadays, because they show how much is at stake when it comes to academia. And why it is important that academics are protected against the various state-based attempts to give up.