All the Shah's Men

An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

De: Stephen Kinzer

Narrado por: Michael Prichard, Jonathan Yen

Half a century ago, the United States overthrew the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, whose "crime" was nationalizing the country's oil industry.

In a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents, Kinzer reveals the involvement of Eisenhower, Churchill, Kermit Roosevelt, and the CIA in Operation Ajax, which restored Mohammad Reza Shah to power. Reza imposed a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection.

"It is not far-fetched", Kinzer asserts, "to draw a line from Operation Ajax through the Shah's repressive regime and the Islamic Revolution to the fireballs that engulfed the World Trade Center in New York."

©2003 Stephen Kinzer (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Breezy storytelling and diligent research.... This stands as a textbook lesson in how not to conduct foreign policy." (Publishers Weekly)

"With a keen journalistic eye, and with a novelist's pen....a very gripping read." (The New York Times)

"Kinzer's brilliant reconstruction of the Iranian coup is made even more fascinating by the fact that it is true. It is as gripping as a thriller, and also tells much about why the United States is involved today in places like Afgahanistan and Iraq." (Gore Vidal)

Wow, a great (and useful) read!

Kinzer tells a fascinating story that grabs your attention while providing detailed information about a historical topic that is still very salient today.

After finishing this book, one can't help but be fascinated by the fact that the US and British role in squelching Iranian democracy and installing their own puppet ruler is not more widely known. This book was very enlightening in helping me understand an important part of Iranian history; and one which still has a significant impact on middle east policy today. I found the level of detail and quality of storytelling superb.

Great insight into US/Iran relationship

Great documentary, and a must hear/read for all those interested in understanding the US/Iran relationship. The US hostage crisis was always a puzzle for me until I read this book. It also gives an great insight into the history of Iran. Excellent narration.

great book

excellent listen, chapter 2 provides an excellent history of the shia faith. the first few chapters of the book provide an excellent history of Iran, and the author does a fantastic job of weaving the history of iran with the formation of the anglo-persian oil company, the rise and fall of mohammed mossadegh, and the islamic revolution of 1979.

Very informative

A very informative and "readable" account of an important and overlooked episode in world history.

As far as style, the author uses a lot of interesting detail to breathe life into the historic account so that it is anything but dry.

As far as content, I think that this book serves to remind Americans (including myself) that our country's cold war policies were often anti-democratic and had long-term consequences that we are still feeling this day. Whether or not one believes that they were justified at the time, it is important to read histories such as these to understand the repercussions of these policies - in this case, our extremely problematic relationship with Iran today.

All the Shah's Men

A fascinating history of modern Iran and the background that led to today's problems. Well-written and very interesting.

read this

excellent relevant book, should be standard reading, well worth the time, consider reading a history of Iran first

Great analysis

Really good take on the background regarding how it rose to the theocratic nation that currently stands before them.

History Revealed

If you ever wondered why "those people dislike us" and also wanted to understand the roots of modern day terrorism, you will want to read this book. It was an interesting and informative book.

A must read by all Americans

Excellent! Kinzer is a riveting story teller. But, more importantly, this history needs to be known by all Americans. It is an important key to getting a handle on middle eastern geopolitics.

Important read

Where does All the Shah's Men rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5 for sure

Any additional comments?

Great book and an important read. This is a great book to learn more about the situation in the mid-east. They don't like the west for a reason. Prior to 1900, they loved the west. What changed?