All The Shah's Men

In the novel All The Shah's Men we are introduced to Iran, and the many struggles and hardships associated with the history of this troubled country. The Iranian coup is discussed in depth throughout the novel, and whether the Untied States made the right decision to enter into Iran and provide assistance with the British. If I were to travel back to 1952 and take a position in the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) for the sole purpose of examining the American Foreign Intelligence, I would have to conclude that the United States should have examined their options more thoroughly, and decided not to intervene with Iran and Mossadegh. I have taken this position after great analysis, which is something that Eisenhower and his staff never did. By discussing the history of Iran, the Anglo-Iranian oil company, and Document NSC-68 I will try to prove once and for all that going through with the coup in Iran was a terrible mistake made by the United States.

There were many aspects concerning the history of Iran that showed that the coup was a bad idea. The role of religion played a very influential part in the history of Iran. Many people living in Iran still to this day believe in the Zoroastrian religion. The beliefs associated with this religion may account for many of the uprisings and political protests aimed at the Shah and his power. This religion taught Iranians that they "have an inalienable right to enlightened leadership and that the duty of subjects is not simply to obey wise kings but also to rise up against those who are wicked" (20). Many thought that the Shah was a terrible leader, and that he would continue to sell out his country to foreigners for the right amount of money. I believe that Mossadegh also believed this, and that he used this Zoroastrian belief to do so. The Shah did not have farr, because he did not act or behave morally. Even Shiism, which came about long after the religion of Zoroastrian, believes that rulers may hold the power of a country only as long as they are just. By looking over the history of Iranian religion, this alone should have set of alarms in the government that this coup may not be the right way to get Mossadegh out of power.

Not only did the religious history play a large role in Iran's beliefs but also foreign invaders have been imposing their power on the Iranian region for thousands of years. Iran's strong hatred towards foreigners began around 626A.D. after the passing of their greatest leaders, Cyrus and Darius. Iran was now unprotected, and a new power came into being. The Arabs invaded and the quality of life changed. "People fell into poverty as the greedy court imposed ever-increasing taxes. Tyranny tore apart the social contract between ruler and ruled that Zoroastrian doctrine holds to be the basis of organized life" (21). The Iranian people couldn't survive with a ruler who had no sympathy or respect for them. Their life was being over run by foreigners.

This type of suffering also occurred in 1722 with the Afghan tribesmen and yet again during the late eighteenth century and lasted until 1925. The Qajars, a Turkic tribe that was established near the Caspian Sea, conquered Iran this time. The kings who ruled under the Qajar Empire also were mainly responsible for the country's poverty and resistance to modernity. The only difference between the Qajars and the Arabs is that now the people of Iran were not going to sit back and let these kings give foreigner powers the right to their country. The Qajars had "lost their right to rule, their farr. Armed with Shiite principle that endows the ordinary citizen with inherent power to overthrow despotism...Iranians rebelled in a way their forefathers never had" (28).

Although the British and Russia never actually invaded Iran, I believe that the pull that they had on the country through all of their property, and industry that they owned including people (who they could influence) in some ways related to invading and conquering another country To me these descriptions have a lot of similarities to life during the Shah's rule. The people of Iran are just becoming more aggressive and aggravated. The United States should have realized this increasing hatred for foreign powers and opted out of the coup while they still had the chance. Mossadegh was just doing what every other Iranian wanted to do, but was too afraid to do it.

The last major factor that if noticed would have prompted the United States to withdraw from engaging in the coup with the British, and cooperating with the Shah concerns the ongoing struggle Iran faces with its corrupt leaders. After the people of Iran took back their land for the foreign conquerors, they then had to face and rise up against a number of rulers who is some aspects were even worse than the foreign invaders. One such man was Nasir al-Din Shah who "...sold government jobs, imposed oppressive taxes, and confiscated the fortunes of wealthy merchants. When there was no money left for him to take, he came up with the idea of raising cash by selling Iran's patrimony to foreign companies and governments" (31). Many followed after Nasir including his son, Muzzaffar, who basically in my opinion sold everything that the country had in value, oil.

Many descendants of Muzzaffar continued to rule after him, and although the Iranian people eventually were able to nationalize some industries, the oil belonged to the British. This is really where all of the conflict begins concerning the oil, and the hatred that Iranians have for foreign powers, especially the British. Through reading about the Shah I have came to the conclusion that he is no different from these past dictators. The United States government should have looked into the past and took into account why actually the people of Iran possess so much hatred for the Shah, and especially what he embodies.

Most of the content in this novel, and my central argument for why the United States never should have went through with the coup concerns the Anglo-Iranian oil company. The conflict centers around two conflicting views. The British feel that they bought the rights and that it is in the contract that they have possession of the oil for 60 years. The Iranian citizens however, strongly led by Mossadegh feel that they have been cheated and wish to nationalize the oil industry. This would allow the country to return to the riches that almost everyone experienced during the height of the Persian Empire. The people of Iran know that a peaceful agreement will not happen, so they would be happy with owning just a portion of the industry, and receiving the proper amount of compensation for all of the years that the British cheated Iran out of money, and profits. There is no agreement so Mossadegh decides to start a revolution