Pahlavi began studies at Williams College in September 1979, but dropped out in 1980. He then enrolled at The American University in Cairo as a political science student, but his attendance was irregular. He obtained a BSc degree in political science by correspondence from the University of Southern California in 1985. The Pahlavi dynasty was founded early in the twentieth century. The 1979 revolution replaced the monarchy with an Islamic republic.
The Pahlavi era has its own controversies (e.g. human rights violations, concentration of power). For some, nostalgia for the monarchy is mixed with criticism of that past. This weighs on perceptions of Reza Pahlavi among those wary of returning to monarchical forms (even symbolic ones). Operating in exile limits what can be done inside Iran. Also, cohesive opposition is fragmented. Coordinating diverse political, ethnic, ideological groups under a common program has proven difficult.
