Letter: US misguided on monarchies
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.US misguided
on monarchies
Sir: It is not just the British monarchy which many in the United States find "profoundly offensive", in the words of Godfrey Hodgson ("He's not our Uncle Sam", 25 October), but this antipathy to the principle of monarchy is nothing to be proud of.
Successive US administrations have promoted, or connived at, the abolition of monarchies across the globe, such as Hawaii, Italy, Libya and Iran. Which of these is any better for being a republic? When will the United States have the courage to admit that it made a fundamental error in failing to support the Shah in 1979? The Iranian monarchy's replacement by a republic has resulted in untold misery for the Iranian people, violent attacks on innocent people around the world, the rise of Saddam Hussein, destabilisation of the whole Gulf region, a costly war in Kuwait and a continuing crisis in Kurdistan.
The one exception to America's anti-monarchy policy was Japan, where General MacArthur very sensibly argued for retaining the Emperor. Has it gone unnoticed that the Iranian republic is a dictatorship which exports terrorism, while the Japanese Empire is a democracy which exports transistors?
DONALD FOREMAN
Secretary-General
The Monarchist League
London WC1
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments