A brief history of US interventionism in Iran and beyond

Stephen Kinzer's 'The True Flag' examines the 1898 debate between imperialists and anti-imperialists in the United States, focusing on figures like Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. The book traces how that conflict over overseas expansion shaped the emergence of American global power and established recurring arguments about intervention. Kinzer connects the moral, political, and economic motivations behind empire-building to later U.S. foreign policy choices. Using narrative history and biographical sketches, he shows how the decisions of that era reverberated through subsequent interventions. The book highlights the tensions between American ideals of self-government and the impulse to dominate abroad.

In 'All the Shah's Men,' Stephen Kinzer provides a detailed and engaging narrative of the CIA's Operation Ajax, the covert operation that deposed Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. The book explores the historical context, including the nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company by Mossadegh, the British and American interests involved, and the role of key figures such as Kermit Roosevelt and the Dulles brothers. Kinzer argues that this coup had significant and unintended consequences, including the rise of Muslim fundamentalism, anti-American sentiment in the Middle East, and ultimately, the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The book is a critical examination of American foreign policy and its impact on global events, drawing connections between the 1953 coup and contemporary issues in the Middle East.