Worlds Apart

A Documentary History of US–Iranian Relations, 1978–2018

Malcolm Byrne author Kian Byrne author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cambridge University Press

Published:26th Aug '21

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Worlds Apart cover

An expertly curated and annotated collection of declassified records, revealing the inner workings of US-Iran relations after 1978.

Using declassified records, this book documents the tumultuous relationship between the US and Iran. Its innovative and accessible approach to history provides glossaries, discussion questions, and clear instructions for decoding records and will serve as an indispensable resource for those interested in US foreign policy and Iranian history.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.

'Four decades ago Iran and the US substituted a close relationship for marked hostility. Byrne and Byrne have brought together in this book a collection of key documents that mark the major turning points - and the viewpoints of the principal actors - of these tumultuous decades. Worlds Apart, the title the authors have chosen for their fascinating collection, is strikingly apt. Their book is a page-turner and a significant contribution to the study of US-Iranian relations since the Islamic revolution.' Haleh Esfandiari, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
'Through a series of significant documents, expertly given context in an accessible fashion, Byrne and Byrne offer both novices and old hands a unique and reliable tracing of the difficult, often muddled and damaging, history of US-Iran relations during and since the revolution.' Farideh Farhi, Independent scholar
'An excellent collection of documents covering all of the major issues in US-Iran relations during the past forty years with introductory material that provides essential context. This will be an essential reference source for anyone interested in this important topic.' Mark Gasiorowski, Professor Emeritus, Tulane University
'It's not a pretty story, but it should be required reading to understand how our two countries have been stuck on a road to nowhere for forty years. It's all here: the ignorance, the obliviousness, and the insights ignored. Thanks to the authors for giving us the raw material of history free of biases and personal agendas.' John Limbert, Retired American diplomat and author of Believers: Love and Death in Tehran

ISBN: 9781108838528

Dimensions: 235mm x 155mm x 25mm

Weight: 670g

283 pages