All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror | 
| Author: Stephen Kinzer
Publisher: Wiley
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 6720
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
ISBN: 047018549X
Dewey Decimal Number: 955.053
EAN: 9780470185490
ASIN: 047018549X
Publication Date: January 2, 2008
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Product Description
With a thrilling narrative that sheds much light on recent events, this national bestseller brings to life the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that ousted the country’s elected prime minister, ushered in a quarter-century of brutal rule under the Shah, and stimulated the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and anti-Americanism in the Middle East. Selected as one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post and The Economist, it now features a new preface by the author on the folly of attacking Iran.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 131 more reviews...
 Blame the Brits September 13, 2008
Overall, this book is a interesting, short, and readable account of Mossadegh and the CIA sponsored coup that overthrew him in 1953. It flows quickly (sometimes too quickly) and is superb at detailing the debates between British, American, and Iranian officials on how to respond to the nationalization of Anglo-Iranian Oil. The British, not the Americans or Iranians, become the real villains in this story. In fact, Churchill plays an interesting role, one of which most Americans and Brits, who fondly remember their WWII hero, are unaware.
While some have questioned the author's supposedly naive admiration for Mossadegh, I found that Kinzer balances his obvious condemnation for the coup with revelations about Mossadegh's flaws (emotional rather than logical discussions, fainting spells, stubbornness, etc.). Indeed, Kinzer does make a compelling case that the coup was really ordered to protect a corrupt oil company and pathetic Shah, with Americans fooled into seeing a communist threat. I did think the preface to the 2008 book on attacking Iran did not help, since injecting current political debates merely labels Kinzer's historical account. While I agree with Kinzer and think invading Iran would be a disaster for the reasons he says, I could understand how the preface might color the rest of the book by suggesting that anyone who supports a tough line against Iran now should also disagree with the author's assessment of the 1953 coup.
I found it ironic that Kermit Roosevelt, the CIA mastermind behind the coup, says he would accept thanks from Iranians and Americans soon after the coup succeeds. Rather, Americans should learn their history and realize that he may very well be responsible for our current problems with Iran and its nuclear program.
A few good murders by a few good men gone awry September 13, 2008
Of course, I remember the chronic "60 Minutes" segments where the Shah was interviewed ever so politely about various atrocities and he reponded suavely denying the accusations. Now, the day before the Iranian "Hostage Crisis," I was in the dining facility admiring the Iranian unforms which were so much fancier than my own. I presumed our guests were officers being trained in the fine art of infantry slaughter. In any case, they never spoke to me, perhaps because of the language problem, or perhaps because they were better than a white NCO. The day of the seizure, our friends were still enjoying fine dining with us, but, the next day, they were gone. No explanations were offered. Nobody told me nothing. Now, well before 1953, our secret government was planning to whack Iran so that Churchill and his ilk could rob the nation by stealing its oil. And so it would have gone, if Truman had not been president. Eisenhower, was another story entirely, and he was easily convinced to go along. This book records a series of evil machinations which benefitted no one in Iran and only the rich elsewhere. Read it for yourself. You will not find a word of it in the No Child Left Behind textbooks.
 A must read to understand the middle east June 18, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a good history book everyone needs to read. Especially anyone running for political office.
Sometimes the truth has a liberal bias June 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
To write a good history book like this one an author needs to do well in three separate areas. He needs to research the topic at hand, write a readable account and finally analyze the events. Kinzer performs exceptionally well in all three areas. First, the book is meticulously researched. He discusses appropriate history without going into unnecessary or boring details to give the reader an appropriate context and background leading up to the 1953 coup. He also uses a diverse set of resources which leaves no holes in the story.
Second, Kinzer's writing is engaging and at times suspenseful. In fact at the end of many chapters, I was unable to put the book aside and take a break from reading due to the suspense Kinzer created. The story is very easy to follow and the reader needs practically no background to follow the events. This is particularly impressive given the relative short length of the book. My only criticism is that I wished he had summarized the cast of characters in an appendix or in the beginning as many similar books do.
Finally, his analysis, while many have called too liberal, is even handed. He makes a leap by implying that 9/11 events may have not happened if it weren't for the 1953 CIA led coup. Of course we will never know for sure. He supports his claims convincingly that the coup led to the eventual 1979 hostage crisis and the anti-American feelings in the Middle East. Liberal bias? The facts speak for themselves. The CIA using American tax payer money to overthrow a popular and democratically elected government. We, in the USA, would not appreciate if foreigners overthrew our government so why have a double standard? Perhaps Mossadegh is being glorified too much and ultimately he would have led Iran towards the wrong path, but the point remains that we will never know thanks to the coup. Kinzer does entertain the possibilities that Mossadegh would have been terrible for Iran and the West so I reject the idea that he has a strong liberal bias.
If you, like me, find the "Death to USA" chants and hostage taking barbaric and puzzling, this book will offer you fresh insights and help you understand the roots of these actions. You will become a lot smarter and more knowledgeable about the Middle East after reading it. I highly recommend this book.
Thrilling Read, Highly Important History. May 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"All The Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer is one of those rare works that exposes and explores a little-known moment in world history that is of high importance for our own times. The book chronicles how the U.S. and Britain pulled off a coup in Iran in the 1950s, overthrowing an elected government and setting the stage for what would become the Islamic Revolution of 1979. There has never been a more timely moment to pick up this book which explains the past, but it has priceless insights into the present. Kinzer has even included a new preface in this latest edition where he discusses the current spike in tensions and rhetoric from the U.S. towards Iran and the grave danger of a possible military confrontation and what it could mean.
In rich, fascinating detail and thrilling pace, Kinzer takes the reader through Iran's most fascinating moments in history ranging from its glory days as the Persian Empire to its time as a colony under British rule. Kinzer brilliantly looks at Iranian culture, how the Shiite religion plays a role in the Iranian character and has shaped the nation's attitudes and social structure. There are interesting moments dealing with the discovery of oil in the country and how this especially turned the area into a target for colonial interests. After this educative introduction to the country, Kinzer then focuses on the political upheavel Iran faced during the 1930s and 1940s when a parliamentry system was installed to sit next to the reigning monarchy. This came about during a time of intense nationalism which finally climaxed in the election of Mohammed Mossadegh, a fierce nationalist who's main goal was to nationalize Iran's oil which at the time was completely controlled by the British. Iranian oil was helping keep the British Empire afloat and giving the British citizenry a cozey lifestyle while Iranians lived in horrendous poverty, especially the oil workers at the Abadan refinery who lived in tin shacks while their colonial masters enjoyed golf courses, cinemas and luxurious clubs.
Kinzer's exploration of Mossadegh is deep and fascinating, reading you realize that Mossadegh deserves a place among the great nationalist leaders who have been known for their clashes with imperialism like Mandela, Lumumba, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. He comes across as a highly intelligent, charismatic character who felt a deep pain for his nation's suffering and was willing to face hell in order to liberate his people. The moment where Mossadegh speaks before the UN is especially memorable.
"All The Shah's Men's" main storyline focuses on how the battle for oil independence by Iran led to a joint British/U.S. operation to overthrow Mossadegh and re-install the Shah who was willing to serve all his master's demands as long as his throne and authority were kept secure. These are some of the books most enraging, thrilling moments as key historical characters such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill and CIA director Allen Dulles make appearances, divising massive propaganda, sabotage and destabilization plots to bring down a nationalist government threatening imperial hegemony.
Kinzer's book looks at the past, but is highly important for the present because once again we face a situation where a dominant power in the world might intervene violently in Iran, but as anyone who reads "All The Shah's Men" learns, this is not a wise course of action. The intervention carried out in 1953 lead to years of brutal repression which in turn led to the Islamic Revolution and the regime we are dealing with today. Kinzer brilliantly explores Iranian culture and the history of a people who have been punished endlessly for trying to control their own natural resources, this makes the story quite universal considering the struggle of Mossadegh in the book is the same struggle we see today in nations like Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Asia. "All The Shah's Men" is the answer to these radical, right-wing, religious books we have been bombarded with promoting war with Iran based on simplistic reasons when in fact, the history is much more complex.
Kinzer writes "All The Shah's Men" with a great eye for detail and provides in-depth analysis, documents, rare news reports and speeches to take us back in time. Like his other brilliant work on imperialism, "Overthrow," Kinzer also captures the human aspect and provides great personal, psychological details of the characters and how they were shaped by and related to the historical event in question. The book also serves as a nice crash course for anyone who wants to become familiar with Iran and its history, Kinzer does some excellent historical research that proves to be very valuable in understanding how this controversial nation has been shaped and formed.
"All The Shah's Men" is a brilliant chronicle and great resource, it is one of the best books available on Iran and the best record yet on what can be seen as the most crucial Western intervention in the Middle East in the last century before the Iraq War. A timely work and a timely warning.
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