A01=Afshin Matin-Asgari
American imperialism
Anti-imperialism
Arms sales
Author_Afshin Matin-Asgari
Category=JP
Category=JPS
Category=NH
Category=NHG
CIA
Cold War
current events
Economic sanctions
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eq_history
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eq_isMigrated=2
eq_new_release
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
geopolitics
history books
Hostage crisis
imperialism
Iran foreign policy
Iranian foreign policy
Iranian foreign relations
Iraq war
Islamic Republic
israel
middle east
middle east history
Missionaries
Monarchy
Oil
Oil interests
political science
Revolution
Student opposition
Tehran
Trump
US
US imperialism
War with Iraq
Product details
- ISBN 9781839762260
- Weight: 461g
- Dimensions: 153 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 20 Jan 2026
- Publisher: Verso Books
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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Ironic plot twists and colorful characters abound in Afshin Matin-Asgari's accessible history of relations between the United States and Iran. The missionaries and educators who descended on Iran in the early nineteenth century made way for the next century's oilmen, CIA agents, scholars, and arms dealers in the assertion of US imperial priorities. Whether Iran resisted or succumbed to US interests, it couldn't fail to be shaped by the superpower.
Matin-Asgari offers fresh takes on familiar topics: America's rise as a Middle East hegemon during the Cold War; the special relationship between Washington and the shah; the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis; the Iran-Iraq war; the Islamic Republic's peculiar anti-imperialism; the decades of onerous American sanctions; Israel's intervention in Iran-US relations; the ascendance of Trump; and the 2025 attempt by the United States and Israel to bring regime change to Tehran.
A labyrinthine tale of American imperial misadventures, Axis of Empire incorporates and challenges scholarly narratives while offering a sophisticated yet highly readable account of Iran-US history.
Matin-Asgari offers fresh takes on familiar topics: America's rise as a Middle East hegemon during the Cold War; the special relationship between Washington and the shah; the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis; the Iran-Iraq war; the Islamic Republic's peculiar anti-imperialism; the decades of onerous American sanctions; Israel's intervention in Iran-US relations; the ascendance of Trump; and the 2025 attempt by the United States and Israel to bring regime change to Tehran.
A labyrinthine tale of American imperial misadventures, Axis of Empire incorporates and challenges scholarly narratives while offering a sophisticated yet highly readable account of Iran-US history.
Born in Iran, Afshin Matin-Asgari studied in the United States, where he was active in the 1970s anti-shah student opposition. He returned to Iran to participate in the revolution. He lives in the United States and is Professor of Middle East History at California State University, Los Angeles. Matin-Asgari has published two scholarly monographs and more than two dozen articles and book chapters on modern Iranian political and intellectual history, focusing in particular on leftist thought and movements.
