Book Talk: The Struggle for Iran Oil, Autocracy, and the Cold War, 1951–1954
Please join us for a discussion on The Struggle for Iran Oil, Autocracy, and the Cold War,1951–1954, by David S. Painter and Gregory Brew. Participants are invited to stay for a reception immediately following the event.
About the Book
Beginning with the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry in spring 1951 and ending with its reversal following the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddeq in August 1953, the Iranian oil crisis was a crucial turning point in the global Cold War. The nationalization challenged Great Britain’s preeminence in the Middle East and threatened Western oil concessions everywhere. Fearing the loss of Iran and possibly the entire Middle East and its oil to communist control, the United States and Great Britain played a key role in the ouster of Mosaddeq, a constitutional nationalist opposed to communism and Western imperialism. U.S. intervention helped entrench monarchical power, and the reversal of Iran’s nationalization confirmed the dominance of Western corporations over the resources of the Global South for the next twenty years.
Drawing on years of research in American, British, and Iranian sources, David S. Painter and Gregory Brew provide a concise and accessible account of Cold War competition, Anglo-American imperialism, covert intervention, the political economy of global oil, and Iran’s struggle against autocratic government. The Struggle for Iran dispels myths and misconceptions that have hindered understanding this pivotal chapter in the history of the post–World War II world.
About the Authors
Gregory Brew is an analyst with Eurasia Group’s Energy, Climate & Resources team focusing on the geopolitics of oil and gas. In addition, he serves as Eurasia Group’s country analyst for Iran.
Greg is a historian of modern Iran, oil, and U.S. foreign policy. Before coming to Eurasia Group, he was a Kissinger Visiting Fellow at the Jackson School for Global Affairs at Yale University and a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. He has written two books on the history of modern Iran and has published analysis and commentary in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, War on the Rocks, Time Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and the Washington Post, among other outlets. He has also made media appearance to discuss energy and geopolitics, including on National Public Radio, BNN Bloomberg, the BBC World Service, and Bloomberg’s Odd Lots podcast.
Greg holds a doctorate in history from Georgetown University. When he is not working, he enjoys hiking, cycling, spending time with his family, and revisiting sci-fi television from the 1990s.
David S. Painter is associate professor emeritus of international history at Georgetown University. He is the author of The Cold War: An International History and Oil and The American Century: The Political Economy of U.S. Foreign Oil Policy, 1941–1954.
David S. Painter teaches international history at Georgetown University. He is a past Director of Graduate Studies in the History Department, and was the founding Director of the Master of Arts in Global, Comparative, and International History program. In spring 2008, he was a visiting fellow at the Norwegian Nobel Institute. Before coming to Georgetown, he held positions at the Congressional Research Service, the US Department of Energy, and the US Department of State. He was educated at King College, the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Co-Sponsored with SFS Dean’s Office
Followed by a reception.