The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War

Why are the United States and Iran always at odds? How can two strong former allies become such mortal enemies? What does the future hold for US–Iran relations, and how will it affect the Middle East? In The CIA Guide to Iran, former CIA Officer John C. Kiriakou explores one of the most intractable and difficult problems in American foreign policy. This book looks at the political and social history of Iran, its strategic importance to the Soviet Union and its economic and strategic importance to the US and the United Kingdom. It explains to the reader how external events, economic pressures, sanctions, religion, war, and American and British imperialism conspired to push a country with immeasurable natural wealth to bankruptcy. It then walks the reader through contemporary problems between Iran and the international community—and especially the United States—by examining the events leading up to myriad political, diplomatic, and military conflicts between them. With additional information from Iran expert Gareth Porter, author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare, The CIA Guide to Iran also includes robust appendices to help the reader understand American foreign and intelligence policy toward Iran, United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and the analysis of think tanks that focus on Iran. It also features extensive information on President Trump's foreign policy approach to Iran and the Middle East in general.