Pahlavi himself iirc never ruled and criticised his father who did, so not sure how correctly he can be characterized as an “autocrat”. He might well be genuine. But yes, it’s obvious that there’s foreign countries who’d much prefer him over the theocracy.
An (absolute) monarchy is by definition an autocracy, and a monarch an autocrat. And we don’t know whether he wants to rule as Shah or not based on his statements, because even if he did, it would be in his best interest to deny it and promise democratization. So again: trusting an autocrat at their word, especially if they are promising to bring you democracy if you just let them take the reigns first, is foolishly naïve.
Pahlavi himself iirc never ruled and criticised his father who did, so not sure how correctly he can be characterized as an “autocrat”. He might well be genuine. But yes, it’s obvious that there’s foreign countries who’d much prefer him over the theocracy.
An (absolute) monarchy is by definition an autocracy, and a monarch an autocrat. And we don’t know whether he wants to rule as Shah or not based on his statements, because even if he did, it would be in his best interest to deny it and promise democratization. So again: trusting an autocrat at their word, especially if they are promising to bring you democracy if you just let them take the reigns first, is foolishly naïve.