"All The Shah's Men" - How The U.S. Coup In Iran Undid The Middle East

David S. Robarge wrote a very interesting review of the book on the CIA’s website.

Masoud Kazemzadeh, Ph.D wrote this review of Kinzer’s book for the journal of Middle East Policy, vol. XI, no. 4, Winter 2004. 

He summarizes: “Kinzer has written a superb book, reconstructing the story of a coup that changed history.”

Along those lines, Alan Richards is coauthor of the book, A Political Economy of the Middle East. sites the roots of radical islam as:

Destabilization. The Muslim world is in crisis as it moves from an illiterate, agrarian society into an industrialized society. Richards compares it to what unfolded in Europe, East Asia, and the United States during their own transitions, and he likens today’s followers of al-Qaeda to utopian fanatics of the past, including fascists, Nazis, Leninists, and Maoists.

Demographics. Half of all Middle Easterners are below the age of 20, and, for the first time in history, many youth have received some education. But higher expectations are thwarted by a sluggish labor market and levels of unemployment in some countries that rival those of the United States during the worst days of the 1930s.

Poverty and discontent. Only sketchy data on poverty in the Middle East are available, but many Middle Easterners feel relatively poor, an impression fueled by global images on television and the Internet. “Poverty provides a fertile recruiting ground for opponents of regimes,” writes Richards, noting that the profile of the rank-and-file of today’s violent radical Islamic groups is a young person with some education who may have recently moved to the city.

Rapid urbanization and government failure. Middle Easterners have streamed into urban areas in the past 35 years, and the number of city residents is projected to rise from 135 million today to more than 350 million by 2025. But public services and infrastructure are overwhelmed. Government failure to provide basic services, including housing, sewerage, utilities, potable water, and garbage collection, strains their legitimacy. Recently arrived rural migrants to cities are prime targets of Islamic militants.”