This book compellingly demonstrates how American and British involvement in Iranian politics from the 1940s through to the 1970s is almost entirely to blame for the instability of the entire Middle East region since that time. It biographically lays out Irans independent transition from monarchy to democracy and the complicated relationship between the movements figureheads, namely Mohammad Reza Shah and Mohammad Mosaddegh, respectively, as well as the covert operations undertaken by the British (under Churchill) and Americans (through the CIA) to maintain control of Iranian oil fields. It tragically tells the tale of how the patriotic Mosaddegh was overthrown and put under house arrest for the rest of his life. Under the reinstated Shah, Iranian patriotism eventually resurged and culminated in the revolution of 1979 which was this time seized not by democrats but by islamist extremists. ( )

A fantastic book that every American should read if they want to understand the origins of US-Iranian animosity. There are important lessons in this book that most Americans will blithely ignore and chalk it up to liberal thinking. But the evidence speaks for itself - res ipsa loquiter ( )

All the Shah's Men provides a detailed account of the Iranian political climate in the late 1940s and early 1950s, as well as a broader summary of its earlier history. The circumstances leading to U.S. involvement in what began as a dispute between Iran and Great Britain are also given thorough attention.

Most importantly, Kinzer draws a direct line between the CIA's secret (at the time) 1953 coup to overthrow Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh and the strained relationship between the U.S. and Iran that has followed the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Prior to the coup, the U.S. was seen as an ally in the region, a protector of national interests and resources -- or least more fair than the traditional imperialist attitude still portrayed by Great Britain. By displacing Mosaddegh, a secularist, the nationalist and Islamist movements converged against a common enemy -- the Shah and his neo-imperalist supporters, Great Britain and the U.S.

As Kinzer described the Dulles brothers' strategy to persuade President Eisenhower that the coup was necessary, I had the sense of viewing a horror movie heroine poised to open a door that the audience knows conceals the movie's villain. If only we had shown more restraint in 1953, we may have prevented Iran's transformation from a budding democracy into a hostile and theocratic state. ( )

You can read others for a summary of the book - or, the title pretty much says it all. What is most important, however, especially where we are today with sanctions against Iran is a replaying of the horrors we inflicted on this country. The aftermath of what we did to them is clear and their anti-American sentiment is justified and understandable. So, knowing all this, what the hell are we doing? Why are we allowing this to happen again to this country? These sanctions and willy-waving war imbued rhetoric will not work against them, they've already suffered it once.

History repeats itself and we have rapacious leaders with hegemonic desires and our own collective ignorance to blame. This book is something that everyone should read, and I believe you don't have a right to an opinion about Iran and today's issues related to Iran (as well as other issues in the Middle East which ultimately all come home to roost) without reading a book like this.

This book was a real joy to read and by the end of it I felt such anger and resentment toward the US and especially Britain, and it's happening all over again. These poor people must think, "why are they doing this to us?" The reason is clear: oil.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's my second Stephen Kinzer book and even more enjoyable than the other book of his I read (Overthrow). Read this book! ( )

Hindsight, of course, is 20/20, but this is certainly a damning indictment of the shortsightedness of American foreign policy in the Middle East. ( )