All the Shah's Men
An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror
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4.5 • 47 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
With a thrilling narrative that sheds much light on recent events, this national bestseller brings to life the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that ousted the country’s elected prime minister, ushered in a quarter-century of brutal rule under the Shah, and stimulated the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and anti-Americanism in the Middle East. Selected as one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post and The Economist, it now features a new preface by the author on the folly of attacking Iran.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With breezy storytelling and diligent research, Kinzer has reconstructed the CIA's 1953 overthrow of the elected leader of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, who was wildly popular at home for having nationalized his country's oil industry. The coup ushered in the long and brutal dictatorship of Mohammad Reza Shah, widely seen as a U.S. puppet and himself overthrown by the Islamic revolution of 1979. At its best this work reads like a spy novel, with code names and informants, midnight meetings with the monarch and a last-minute plot twist when the CIA's plan, called Operation Ajax, nearly goes awry. A veteran New York Times foreign correspondent and the author of books on Nicaragua (Blood of Brothers) and Turkey (Crescent and Star), Kinzer has combed memoirs, academic works, government documents and news stories to produce this blow-by-blow account. He shows that until early in 1953, Great Britain and the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company were the imperialist baddies of this tale. Intransigent in the face of Iran's demands for a fairer share of oil profits and better conditions for workers, British Foreign Secretary Herbert Morrison exacerbated tension with his attitude that the challenge from Iran was, in Kinzer's words, "a simple matter of ignorant natives rebelling against the forces of civilization." Before the crisis peaked, a high-ranking employee of Anglo-Iranian wrote to a superior that the company's alliance with the "corrupt ruling classes" and "leech-like bureaucracies" were "disastrous, outdated and impractical." This stands as a textbook lesson in how not to conduct foreign policy. FYI:Publication coincides with the 50th anniversary of the coup, a good news hook for promotion.
Customer Reviews
LOW 5
Before reading this book, I knew very little about the history of Iran. However, even though it was my first Iran book, I can not fathom a more detailed and interesting distillation of this period of Iranian history. Kinzer does a great job describing many of the relevant details about the Shahs, Mohammad Mossadegh and all the other relevant players in Iran politics at the time. I especially enjoyed the first person accounts of Kermit Roosevelt and his actions that led to Mossadegh's fall. Although heartbreaking, as his actions were devastating for the people of Iran, the story sounds more like a movie plot than actual history.
After reading, it is clear to me about what an absolute tragedy Mossadegh's time in leadership was cut so short. Unlike any other leaders in Iran's history, Mossadegh's intentions were pure and his actions were for the best interest of every Iranian. He actually wanted to help people. He was the perfect man to push Iran into a time of prosperity. He was an incorruptible, democratically elected populist whose nationalistic policies were perfect for a country who was so obviously being taken advantage by foreign actors.
Unfortunately, the imperialistic actions of the United States and Great Britain in 1950's Iran is a perfect example of the problematic foreign policy of the Western World. Iran is one of many poor countries who has been a victim to immoral foreign policy trying to protect the unfair status quo and the extraction of wealth of the rich from the poor. I don't think I will ever forget about this book and the story of Mossadegh. It is hard to believe the lie that America is a defender of the downtrodden when history like this is reality. The people in power cared much more about order and wealth than they did about justice or democracy.
Fantastic!
Very well written and researched. Kinzer never fails to deliver. Would love to see this made into a movie or 10 part show.