The 1953 CIA-organized coup against Iran's Mohammed Mossadegh "brought Iran decades of tragedy, but also set in motion forces that have gravely undermined American national security," argues New York Times foreign correspondent Kinzer, who further contends that without the intervention Iran would probably have continued its democratic development, leading to a very different looking Middle East than the one we have today. Kinzer describes the politics of Iran in the years prior to the coup in order to provide context for the American decision to overthrow Mossadegh after he nationalized Iran's oil against he wishes of the British and their Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (now known as BP), details the machinations of the coup itself, and briefly discusses how the coup helped lead to the Revolution of 1979 and the US Embassy hostage crisis. For this new edition he includes a new preface on the folly of attacking Iran anew. Annotation 2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
