EP. 838: AXIS OF EMPIRE: A HISTORY OF U.S. AND IRAN RELATIONS ft. AFSHIN MATIN-ASGARI

EP. 838: AXIS OF EMPIRE: A HISTORY OF U.S. AND IRAN RELATIONS ft. AFSHIN MATIN-ASGARI

2:02:19 Feb 4, 2026
About this episode
Grab a copy of Afshin's book here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2694-a-history-of-iran-us-relations?fbclid=IwY2xjawPrPTBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFMd2xWQW9yUjFWSGJobG1pc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHjuMCjpXHxGRe9kSApunzqYiu4OT0MgbQqx8RSEf4DqCM-fnvaClAiDkgytp_aem_gRjSdtVxuRLcd5lIJR8MOA&srsltid=AfmBOorTkKLJ6K1SnEL-NwoLt89y1zleykmeKsOVGNpDCjK2KyGdyAdi   Afshin Matin-Asgari offers fresh takes on familiar topics: America’s rise as a Middle East hegemon during the Cold War; the special relationship between Washington and the shah; the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis; the Iran-Iraq war; the Islamic Republic’s peculiar anti-imperialism; the decades of onerous American sanctions; Israel’s intervention in Iran-US relations; the ascendance of Trump; and the 2025 attempt by the United States and Israel to bring regime change to Tehran.   A labyrinthine tale of American imperial misadven­tures, Axis of Empire incorporates and challenges scholarly narratives while offering a sophisticated yet highly readable account of Iran-US history.   Check out our new bi-weekly series, "The Crisis Papers" here: https://www.patreon.com/bitterlakepresents/shop   Thank you guys again for taking the time to check this out. We appreciate each and everyone of you. If you have the means, and you feel so inclined,   BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, you'll get bonus content from many of the episodes, and you get MERCH!   Become a patron now
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