U.S.- Iran Relations

With the Iranian revolution as her focal point, Seliktar offers a systematic analysis of predictive failure in foreign policy at the paradigmatic, policy, and intelligence levels. Seliktar first examines how social science paradigms determine conceptualizations of political change, and then applies that analysis to understanding New Internationalism, the Carter administration's foreign policy philosophy at the time of the Shah's fall from power. Based in part on classified documents seized during the takeover of the American embassy, Failing the Crystal Ball Test is a valuable addition to Middle Eastern studies, international relations, and comparative politics collections.

Praise for All the Shah's Men "Stephen Kinzer's brilliant reconstruction of the Iranian coup is made even more fascinating by the fact that it is true. It is as gripping as a thriller, and also tells much about why the United States is involved today in places like Afghanistan and Iraq." -Gore Vidal, author of Lincoln, Burr, and 1876. "Remarkable, readable, and relevant . . . All the Shah's Men not only reads like an exciting, page-turning spy novel, it deals with the hard issues of today." -Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman, Senate Foreign Relations Committee "A well-researched object lesson in the dismal folly of so-called nation-building. British and American readers of today should blush with shame." -John le Carré, author of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold and The Tailor of Panama

This is a study of American interventionism and influence over other nations in the late 20th century. The central question raised is whether the United States gains by its symbiotic relationship with authoritarian regimes, such as with Iran under the Shah, Nicaragua under Somoza, and the Philippines under Marcos. Today, while we often hear statements which imply that the U.S. has no national interest which is in conflict with the common good, the long self-searching that followed the Vietnam War should make us more aware of the complexity of American foreign policy and more skeptical of our leaders' enunciation of U.S. national interest. While presidents often make use of the notion of American altruism as a justification for policy (President Bush in Somalia and President Clinton in Haiti, for example), William Blanchard exposes and explores that myth and the conflicts inherent in modern American foreign policy.