BOOK REVIEW: King of Kings (The Iranian Revolution, A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation)By Scott Anderson. Random House, Canada. Hard cover, 512 pp. US$26.74
What has been the biggest setback to the US position in the world in the 80 years since August 1945? The Korean War stalemate? The Vietnam defeat? The failed invasion of Iraq? Afghanistan? Excluding the current era of Donald Trump, itself a different kind of disaster, from the perspective now of 47 years, the answer seems clear: the 1979 overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the takeover by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei's militant Shiite Muslim thugs of an ancient civilization and key to US power in the Middle East. Iran continues to dominate so much regional news that the US-Iran antagonism often seems as deep as back in the days of US President Jimmy Carter's ignominious failure to rescue hostages holed up in the US embassy. Meanwhile, Iranians have learned the hard way that, as in Russia, revolution by ideologues has created far more oppression than had previously existed… This is a preview sent to free subscribers like you. The full content of this article is available exclusively to our paid subscribers. To enjoy the complete Asia Sentinel experience and access more in-depth, independent reporting, please consider subscribing for just US$10/month or US$100/year. Support independent journalism. Subscribe today. This is among the stories/excerpts we choose to make widely available.If you wish to get the full Asia Sentinel experience and access more exclusive content, please do subscribe to us for US$10/month or US$100/year.
|
BOOK REVIEW: King of Kings (The Iranian Revolution, A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation)
September 06, 2025
0
