The Struggle for Iran - by David S Painter & Gregory Brew (Paperback)

About the Book

"Drawing on years of research in American, British, and Iranian sources, David S. Painter and Gregory Brew provide a concise and accessible account of Cold War competition, Anglo-American imperialism, covert intervention, the political economy of global oil, and Iran's struggle against autocratic government. The Struggle for Iran dispels myths and misconceptions that have hindered understanding this pivotal chapter in the history of the post-World War II world"--

Book Synopsis

Beginning with the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry in spring 1951 and ending with its reversal following the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq in August 1953, the Iranian oil crisis was a crucial turning point in the global Cold War. The nationalization challenged Great Britain's preeminence in the Middle East and threatened Western oil concessions everywhere. Fearing the loss of Iran and possibly the entire Middle East and its oil to communist control, the United States and Great Britain played a key role in the ouster of Mosaddeq, a constitutional nationalist opposed to communism and Western imperialism. U.S. intervention helped entrench monarchical power, and the reversal of Iran's nationalization confirmed the dominance of Western corporations over the resources of the Global South for the next twenty years.

Drawing on years of research in American, British, and Iranian sources, David S. Painter and Gregory Brew provide a concise and accessible account of Cold War competition, Anglo-American imperialism, covert intervention, the political economy of global oil, and Iran's struggle against autocratic government. The Struggle for Iran dispels myths and misconceptions that have hindered understanding this pivotal chapter in the history of the post-World War II world.

Review Quotes

"A richly detailed and exhaustively researched reexamination of the origins, course, and consequences of American and British government actions to oust Iranian leader Mohammed Mosaddeq from power. . . . The Struggle for Iran stands alone as a definitive account of the events that led to the 1953 coup."--H-Environment

"Enlightening. . . . [T]his perceptive book gives fresh meaning to these persistent Iranian struggles and realities. . . . [A]n excellent departure point for . . . deeper exploration of the consequential and ill-fated Mosaddeq era in Iran. . . . Painter and Brew's authoritative work on the nationalization crisis is a mirror of the present. The struggle for Iran continues."--H-Diplo

"A deeply researched book . . . . The authors are meticulous and fair-minded in their assessment of the bewildering negotiations that tried to resolve the dispute."--Ray Takeyh, Survival: Global Politics and Strategy

"All readers should agree that [The Struggle for Iran] provides a nuanced understanding of the 1953 coup and its bitter legacy."--Journal of American History

"David Painter and Gregory Brew's new book, The Struggle for Iran, draws out the twists and turns and competing interests involved . . . meticulous."--Socialist Worker

"David S. Painter and Gregory Brew have done historians a great service by bringing together their collective research into one volume. . . . [They] have written a smart and well-organized book that occupies a unique place among 'diplomatic' histories on the Iranian oil crisis of the early 1950s."--American Historical Review

"Painter and Brew are to be commended for producing a thorough historical account that draws on a plethora of sources and adds considerably to the extant historiography. Their book deserves a wide readership."--Diplomatic History

About the Author

David S. Painter is associate professor emeritus of international history at Georgetown University. He is the author of The Cold War: An International History and Oil and the American Century: The Political Economy of U.S. Foreign Oil Policy, 1941-1954. Gregory Brew is Henry A. Kissinger Postdoctoral Fellow at International Security Studies and the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University.