Worlds Apart: A Documentary History of US–Iranian Relations, 1978–2018
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Annotated, 8/26/2021
EAN 9781108971546, ISBN10: 1108971547
Paperback, 342 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm
Language: English
Originally published in English
A relationship beset with extraordinary acrimony, the US and Iran rarely see eye-to-eye, if only to avoid war or nuclear catastrophe. What is at the core of this troubled rivalry that has stymied policymakers and scholars alike? Using a carefully selected collection of White House, CIA, State Department, and other records, Worlds Apart provides a comprehensive answer to this question: starting from the 1979 revolution and hostage crisis, through the Iran-Iraq War and the spread of radical Islam, to 9/11 and the nuclear impasse, to the 2009 Green Movement and the Obama and Trump presidencies. The records, which form the heart of the book, offer a rare, unfiltered view into the perspectives and experiences of the American and Iranian governments over 40 years. Providing timelines, glossaries, discussion questions, and a guide on reading declassified documents, Byrne and Byrne explore this complicated relationship accessibly and innovatively in this unique documentary history.
How to Read a Declassified Document
Introduction
Chronology of events
1. Blindsided
confronting the revolution and the hostage crisis, 1977–1981
2. Turmoil in the Gulf
the Iran-Iraq war and the spread of radical Islam, 1980–1989
3. Leaps of faith
from containment to dialogue, 1990–2000
4. Missed opportunities
from 9/11 to Iraq to the nuclear impasse, 2001–2008
5. Breakthrough
long road to a short-lived deal, 2009–2016
Epilogue. Back to basics
déjàvu after four decades, 2017–2018
Conclusion.