The Shah was a good leader and had an effective government. His problem was that he thought too much about himself. Dubbed himself as the "King of Kings". He didn't really care about many poor Iranians, and if I am not mistaken, unemployment was pretty high during the last days of the Shah. Even fresh college graduates couldn't get jobs. Even now, this is one source of discontent in some other Middle Eastern countries.
Although I'd have to admit, the Americans are being too much of a pushover regarding Iran right now. Bush declaring Iran as being one of the "Axis of Evil" at a time of a war against the Taliban was a nail to the coffin as far as US-Iran relations go. Another problem with American culture these days is that they have an extremely short attention span, they go "yaaaayy!" or "booo!" over one thing and tomorrow is another new thing. This kind of culture is not helping anyone.
Anyways, I hope both sides can get their heads out of the sand.
And thanks Ghost Rider for posting those classy pics
