America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present

In the eighteenth century, Thomas Jefferson and John Quincy Adams greatly admired the Persian Empire, while Iranians regarded America as an ideal their own government might emulate. Beginning there, how did they become the enemies they are today?In this rich, fascinating history, John Ghazvinian traces the complex story of relations between these two powers. Drawing on years of research conducted in both countries – including access to Iranian government archives rarely available to Western scholars – he leads us through the four seasons of US-Iranian relations: the spring of mutual fascination; the summer of early interactions; the autumn of close, strategic ties; and the long, dark winter of hate. A revealing account, America and Iranlays bare when, where and how it all went wrong – and why it didn’t have to be this way

John Ghazvinianis a historian at the University of Pennsylvania. He was born in Iran, raised in London and Los Angeles, and has a doctorate in history from the University of Oxford. He is the author of Untapped: The Scramble for Africa’s Oiland he has written for the Sunday Times, New Statesman, Slate and The Nation. He lives in Philadelphia.