CPAC’s invitation to Reza Pahlavi betrays its conservative values

OPINION:

The Conservative Political Action Conference’s invitation to Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last dictator, to this year’s conference undermines CPAC’s foundational principles. Amplifying Reza Pahlavi also poses significant risks to its credibility and ideological consistency. More importantly, this acts as a gift to Tehran, contradicts President Trump’s national security priorities and undermines the administration’s Iran policy.

CPAC has long championed a strong national security posture by advocating for rigorous measures against organizations and regimes that threaten U.S. security. One of the most significant threats has been the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a pivotal arm of the Iranian state designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. The IRGC is implicated in numerous hostile acts, including attacks on U.S. personnel, support for terrorist entities such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and vicious crackdowns on Iranian civil society.

Despite these facts, Reza Pahlavi has boasted about his close contacts with senior figures within the IRGC. This is deeply troubling, considering CPAC’s historical advocacy for stringent actions against this group. By providing a platform to someone with self-disclosed connections to the IRGC, CPAC muddles its message on Iran and appears hypocritical.

Given the conflicting signals it sends to allies and adversaries, this decision could severely damage CPAC’s reputation as a defender of American security interests. Millions of Iranians opposed to the current regime follow events in this country closely, and seeing Reza Pahlavi at CPAC would be a punch in the gut.

CPAC’s advocacy for limited government and opposition to elitism also clash with the decision to invite Reza Pahlavi. The Pahlavi dynasty, by its very history and nature, represents the antithesis of these values. Monarchy in Iran centralized power in the hands of an unelected few, leading to authoritarian governance practices and significant limitations on individual freedoms. The Pahlavi dynasty, under Reza Shah and his son Mohammad Reza Shah, was characterized by centralization and suppression.

Historically, the Pahlavi regime engaged in widespread surveillance, political persecution, and economic policies that favored elites and exacerbated inequality. The SAVAK, Iran’s notorious secret police under the Shah, brutally suppressed opposition, employing torture and executions as tools of political control. The Shah dissolved all political parties in 1975 and announced a single-party rule, eventually leading to his fall. These actions are fundamentally at odds with CPAC’s principles, such as personal liberty, accountability and government transparency.

By endorsing a representative of monarchical rule, CPAC risks alienating its base, which values democratic governance and the rejection of autocratic and hereditary power structures. Furthermore, this decision undermines the foundational conservative principle that government should be by the people and for the people, not an inherited privilege of the few.

The Iranian people’s rejection of monarchy, culminating in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, reflects a clear repudiation of the Pahlavi dynasty’s repressive and disconnected rule. The result was the hijacking of the country by extremist enemies of the Iranian people, the U.S. and the free world. The people of Iran get it even if CPAC leaders do not. Recent protests in Iran have further confirmed this sentiment, with chants such as “Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Supreme Leader,” signaling a broad-based desire for genuine democratic reform, free from the shadows of secular and theocratic tyrants.

Despite this, CPAC’s invitation to Reza Pahlavi suggests a disregard for the Iranian populace’s democratic aspirations. This move could be perceived as endorsing a figure who represents regressive and discredited ideologies rather than aligning with the forward-looking, democratic forces within Iran. Such a stance contradicts CPAC’s professed support for global democracy and misrepresents the desires and political climate of the Iranian people.

CPAC’s invitation to Reza Pahlavi for its 2025 conference is a profound misstep. It compromises the organization’s adherence to its declared principles of promoting national security, limited government, and democratic values. This decision risks damaging CPAC’s integrity, alienating its supporters, and undermining its credibility on the international stage.

For CPAC to remain true to its mission and maintain its standing as a beacon of conservative values, it must reconsider this invitation. Aligning with individuals who represent or are associated with authoritarian legacies and potential security threats does not serve CPAC’s interests or those of its constituents. Instead, CPAC should focus on supporting individuals and policies that genuinely reflect the principles of freedom, security and democracy it purports to champion. This is crucial for its consistency and reputation and for the broader cause of promoting democratic values worldwide.

• Ivan Sascha Sheehan is a professor of public and international affairs and the associate dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore.