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All the Shah's Men

An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

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All the Shah's Men

Written by: Stephen Kinzer
Narrated by: Michael Prichard, Jonathan Yen
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About this listen

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. Americas International Relations Middle East Political Science Politics & Government United States Iran Iraq War

What the critics say

"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)
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Most relevant
Brilliant account of the 1953 coup. Exciting to listen to. I had some idea of the history, but was still shocked at the details.

Extremely well written, hard to put down

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I Will recommend this book to all Iranians and anyone who’s interested in Iran or middle east’s history.

A must read for all Iranians

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It's shocking that the majority if the world revolves around freedom. it is one if the main statures of America so I find it ironic that they did not want Iran to be free. A truly incredible story and well worth it.

Nobody is truly free

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I began listening to this book, but ultimately had to switch to an ebook version. The first narrator is manageable, however the narrator that begins after the preface, continuously gasps loudly for breath between sentences. I found myself unable to tolerate the reading and had to switch formats.

Otherwise the book is quite interesting read that I would definitely recommend.

Great Book, Narration Terrible

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