Read complete books and articles on: Iran Hostage Crisis

Iran Hostage Crisis - in U.S. history, events following the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran by Iranian students on Nov. 4, 1979. The overthrow of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi of Iran by an Islamic revolutionary government earlier in the year had led to a steady deterioration in Iran-U.S. relations. In response to the exiled shah's admission (Sept., 1979) to the United States for medical

President Carter applied economic pressure by halting oil imports from Iran and freezing Iranian assets in the United States. At the same time, he began several diplomatic initiatives to free the hostages, all of which proved fruitless. On Apr. 24, 1980, the United States attempted a rescue mission that failed. After three of eight helicopters were damaged in a sandstorm, the operation was aborted; eight persons were killed during the evacuation. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who had opposed the action, resigned after the mission's failure.

In 1980, the death of the shah in Egypt and the invasion of Iran by Iraq (see Iran-Iraq War) made the Iranians more receptive to resolving the hostage crisis. In the United States, failure to resolve the crisis contributed to Ronald Reagan's defeat of Carter in the presidential election. After the election, with the assistance of Algerian intermediaries, successful negotiations began. On Jan. 20, 1981, the day of President Reagan's inauguration, the United States released almost $8 billion in Iranian assets and the hostages were freed after 444 days in Iranian detention; the agreement gave Iran immunity from lawsuits arising from the incident.

In 2000 former hostages and their survivors sued Iran under the 1996 Antiterrorism Act, which permits U.S. citizens to sue foreign governments in cases of state-sponsored terrorism. The following year they won the lawsuit by default when Iran did not offer a defense. The U.S. State Dept. sought dismissal of the suit, arguing it would hinder its ability to negotiate international agreements, and a federal judge dismissed the plaintiffs' suit for damages in 2002, ruling that the agreement that resulted in their release barred awarding any damages.

See G. Sick, All Fall Down (1985).

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10 of the Best Books and Articles on: Iran Hostage Crisis

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

U.S. Foreign Policy and the Iran Hostage Crisis » Read Now
by David Patrick Houghton. 252 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Why did Iranian students seize the American embassy in Tehran in 1979? Why did the Carter administration launch a rescue mission, and why did it fail so spectacularly? This book answers these and other puzzles using an analogical reasoning approach that highlights the role of historical analogies in...
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Why did Iranian students seize the American embassy in Tehran in 1979? Why did the Carter administration launch a rescue mission, and why did it fail so spectacularly? This book answers these and other puzzles using an analogical reasoning approach that highlights the role of historical analogies in decision making. Using interviews with key decision makers on both sides, Houghton provides an original analysis of one of the United States' greatest foreign policy disasters of recent years. The book will interest students and scholars of foreign policy analysis and international relations.
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2.

Settlement of the Iran Hostage Crisis, in American Journal of International Law » Read Now
by Oscar Schachter. 15 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
3.

Among the Hostage-Takers, in The Atlantic Monthly » Read Now
by Mark Bowden. 12 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
4.

Terrorism's War with America: A History (Chap. 5 "The Holy War: Terror in Tehran") » Read Now
by Dennis Piszkiewicz. 203 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

For most Americans, terrorism made the transformation from theoretical threat to frightening reality on September 11, 2001, yet America has been the target of terrorist acts for over four decades. Piszkiewicz recounts the changing political orientation of terrorists and highlights the challenge that...
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For most Americans, terrorism made the transformation from theoretical threat to frightening reality on September 11, 2001, yet America has been the target of terrorist acts for over four decades. Piszkiewicz recounts the changing political orientation of terrorists and highlights the challenge that faces America and the community of nations in putting terrorists out of business without adopting their tactics.
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5.

Headline Diplomacy: How News Coverage Affects Foreign Policy ("Iran Hostage Crisis (1979-1981)" begins on p. 31) » Read Now
by Philip Seib. 208 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Seib explores the many ways in which news coverage shapes the design and implementation of foreign policy. By influencing the political attitudes of opinion-shaping elites and the public at large, the news media can profoundly affect the conduct of foreign policy. Seib's text analyzes important...
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Seib explores the many ways in which news coverage shapes the design and implementation of foreign policy. By influencing the political attitudes of opinion-shaping elites and the public at large, the news media can profoundly affect the conduct of foreign policy. Seib's text analyzes important examples of press influence on foreign affairs: the news media's definition of success and failure, as in reporting the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam; how public impatience, fueled by news reports, can pressure presidents, as happened during the Iran hostage crisis of 1979-81; how presidents can anticipate and control news media coverage, as was done by the Bush administration during the 1991 Gulf War; how press revelation or suppression of secret information affects policy, as in the cases of the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis, and various intelligence operations; how coverage of humanitarian crises affects public opinion; the challenges of live TV coverage; and the changing influence of news in the post-Cold,War world. By covering a wide range of issues and examples, this important text will stimulate thoughtful appraisal of the relationships between the news media and those who make policy. It will be of interest to students and scholars in journalism, political communication, and international relations.
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6.

The History of Iran ("The Hostage Crisis" begins on p. 190) » Read Now
by Elton L. Daniel. 301 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

With almost three thousand years of history, Iran is home to one of the world's richest and most complex cultures. Yet to the average American the name Iran probably conjures up an image of a remote and upstart country inhabited by a people whose religious fanaticism is matched only by the intensity...
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With almost three thousand years of history, Iran is home to one of the world's richest and most complex cultures. Yet to the average American the name Iran probably conjures up an image of a remote and upstart country inhabited by a people whose religious fanaticism is matched only by the intensity of their disdain for the United States and its values, who speak an obscure tongue called Farsi, and whose identity is not clearly distinguished from that of their Arab neighbors. This work offers an objective and engagingly written portrait of the Iranian people and their complex history from the perspective of one of the world's foremost experts on the country. It is ideal for student use and for the interested reader.
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7.

The International Politics of Secularism: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in Alternatives: Global, Local, Political » Read Now
by Elizabeth Shakman Hurd. 24 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library
8.

The Modern Presidency and Crisis Rhetoric (Discussion of the Iran hostage crisis begins on p. 143) » Read Now
by Amos Kiewe. 288 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This volume examines how presidents from Truman to Bush rhetorically approached and managed political, military, judicial, legislative, and economic crises during their presidencies. Editor Amos Kiewe brings together new essays by communications scholars who look at rhetoric initiated during...
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This volume examines how presidents from Truman to Bush rhetorically approached and managed political, military, judicial, legislative, and economic crises during their presidencies. Editor Amos Kiewe brings together new essays by communications scholars who look at rhetoric initiated during national crises, examining especially the development of rhetoric at the onset of crises, changes in presidential rhetoric, and situational crisis constraints on rhetoric. Their studies suggest similarities in rhetoric in different types of crises, and yield resources for postulating patterns of crisis rhetoric.
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9.

Parliamentary Politics in Revolutionary Iran: The Institutionalization of Factional Politics ("Resolving the Hostage Crisis" begins on p. 70) » Read Now
by Bahman Baktiari. 300 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library
10.

The Evolution of Special Forces in Counter-Terrorism: The British and American Experiences » Read Now
by J. Paul De B. Taillon. 193 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

The threat of terrorism knows no borders, and, given the complexities of today's global system, no nation can afford to stand alone. This study considers the role that international cooperation plays in assisting elite military forces engaged in low intensity and counter-terrorist operations...
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The threat of terrorism knows no borders, and, given the complexities of today's global system, no nation can afford to stand alone. This study considers the role that international cooperation plays in assisting elite military forces engaged in low intensity and counter-terrorist operations, particularly hostage rescue efforts. Using historical examples from the experiences of Great Britain and the United States, the author concludes that cooperation (ranging from shared intelligence, to forward base access, to the provision of observers) can provide significant advantages in dealing with low-intensity operations. However, the most fruitful joint efforts involve shared activities by countries that possess a similar threat perception, usually in part a result of a common "sociology" in their view of historical developments.
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