The surprising story of Iran’s transformation from America’s ally in the Middle East into one of its staunchest adversaries
"An original interpretation that puts Iranian actors where they belong: at center stage."—Michael Doran, Wall Street Journal
“An extraordinary account. . . . Deeply nuanced and eloquent.”—Benjamin Weinthal, Jerusalem Post
Offering a new view of one of America’s most important, infamously strained, and widely misunderstood relationships of the postwar era, this book tells the history of America and Iran from the time the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was placed on the throne in 1941 to the 1979 revolution that brought the present Islamist government to power. This revolution was not, as many believe, the popular overthrow of a powerful and ruthless puppet of the United States; rather, it followed decades of corrosion of Iran’s political establishment by an autocratic ruler who demanded fealty but lacked the personal strength to make hard decisions and, ultimately, lost the support of every sector of Iranian society. Esteemed Middle East scholar Ray Takeyh provides new interpretations of many key events—including the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq and the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini—significantly revising our understanding of America and Iran’s complex and difficult history.
ISBN-13: 9780300264654
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication Date: 02-08-2022
Pages: 336
Product Dimensions: 5.70(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Series: Council on Foreign Relations Books
Ray Takeyh is the Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a former State Department official.
Table of Contents
Cast of Characters xi
Introduction: Through the Looking Glass 1
1 Iran under Occupation 8
2 A Crisis in Azerbaijan 31
3 The Oil Nationalization Crisis 55
4 The Coup 87
5 The Shahs Emerging Autocracy 117
6 The Age of Reform 141
7 Master of the Universe 169
8 The Revolution 196
9 Republic of Virtue 240
Conclusion: The Past Has Another Pattern 258
Acknowledgments 265
Notes 267
Index 295
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