Alan: It was once possible to project violence "far away, over there," onto the enemy du jour --- typically dark-skinned people.
Fifty years ago, prior to the "acceleration of culture," hostility and blowback were sufficiently separated in both time and space that the cause-and-effect of sowing and reaping were obscure to opaque.
Only recently, for example, has World War II been properly understood as a prolongation of World War I, a long- smoldering conflict whose embers were eventually fanned to flame by the unbearably harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty.
Similarly, the CIA's toppling of Iran's first democratically-elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, is a case study in the counterproductivity of violence, which, in turn, spotlights the decisive role of moneyed interests in the provocation of international violence.
The movie, Argo, begins with a "newsreel review" of American-British swashbuckling in 1950s Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6RGeqNFaQM
Fifty years ago, prior to the "acceleration of culture," hostility and blowback were sufficiently separated in both time and space that the cause-and-effect of sowing and reaping were obscure to opaque.
Only recently, for example, has World War II been properly understood as a prolongation of World War I, a long- smoldering conflict whose embers were eventually fanned to flame by the unbearably harsh terms of the Versailles Treaty.
Similarly, the CIA's toppling of Iran's first democratically-elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, is a case study in the counterproductivity of violence, which, in turn, spotlights the decisive role of moneyed interests in the provocation of international violence.
The movie, Argo, begins with a "newsreel review" of American-British swashbuckling in 1950s Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6RGeqNFaQM
"We Like War"
Video
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspo
Scare The Sheep And They Will Applaud Military-Industrial Profiteering
"We Like War"
Video
http://paxonbothhouses.blogspo
Scare The Sheep And They Will Applaud Military-Industrial Profiteering
"Do Wars Really Defend America's Freedom?"
(Homage To Marine Commandant, Major General Smedley Butler)
(Homage To Marine Commandant, Major General Smedley Butler)
"Why We Fight," Excellent Documentary With Ike's "Military-Industrial Complex" As Springboard
"Why We Fight," Excellent Documentary With Ike's "Military-Industrial Complex" As Springboard
Uncle Sam's Regime Change In Iran
The Central Intelligence Agency was behind the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. It's been an open secret for decades, but last week, The George Washington University's National Security Archive released newly declassified documents proving it.
The Central Intelligence Agency was behind the overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. It's been an open secret for decades, but last week, The George Washington University's National Security Archive released newly declassified documents proving it.
Orchestrating the Iranian coup d'état was a first for the CIA and would serve as the template for future Cold War covert operations worldwide.
Mossadegh "believed that Iran's main problem at that time was that it was a country basically ruled by foreign empires," Iranian filmmaker Maziar Bahari tells Weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden. So, after less than a week in office, on May 1, 1951, Mossadegh decided to nationalize the British-run Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
"To the British, because they discovered the oil and created the Iranian oil industry from scratch, it was a fair deal that they shared the oil revenue with the Iranian government," says Bahari. "But, to many Iranians, especially those who did not remember that there was no oil in Iran before the British came, it was just unfair for a British company to have a monopoly over Iranian oil."
However, the British would not leave quietly. According to Bahari, "Mossadegh had to go in order for the British to keep their monopoly," and they began pursuing measures to topple the Iranian prime minister. Their plan succeeded, but only after two long years of spy craft, subversion and the eventual help of the CIA.
"I think a lesser man would fall within a week. Mossadegh was a very strong politician and a very strong man," Bahari said.
Young CIA agents used suitcases full of cash to destabilize the regime. "They managed to buy newspaper editors, to buy hoodlums, they organized rallies in different cities, they created a fake communist party in order to create trouble," Bahari said. Still, they almost failed.
According to Bahari, after Mossadegh and his allies thwarted the first coup attempt Aug. 15, 1953, officials in Washington wanted to pull the plug on the spy operation. They sent a telegram to Kermit Roosevelt Junior, the CIA officer leading the overthrow and grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, ordering him to cease and desist. "But Kermit Roosevelt just says 'I never heard that' and he carries on the operation and he succeeds," Bahari said.
Four days later, a second coup attempt was successful.
"It's kind of left a bitter taste in Iranians' mouths," says Bahari. "It's created a very good excuse for the Iranian government to exploit the genuine grievances of the Iranian people."
An Afterthought: If a foreign power had down to the United States what the United States did to Iran, American patriots would still be in a stage of unabated rage.
An Afterthought: If a foreign power had down to the United States what the United States did to Iran, American patriots would still be in a stage of unabated rage.
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