Savitz / Reflections on the Revolution in Iran

A think tank analyst, with on-the-ground experience in the Gulf, reflects on the 1979 revolution against the Shah in Iran and how that event--so unexpected by the U.S.--may through the five key "lessons learned" by that crisis, provide us with a better ability to anticipate future dramatic change in the region.--Ed. The United States government has a short memory. The rapid rotation of faces in and out of Washington ensures that anything that happened more than a quarter century before--even an event of singular importance--assumes the pale and distant appearance of ancient history.