Operation Ajax: CIA Coup in Iran 1953: Oil, Empire, and the Birth of American Covert Power in the Middle East

In August 1953, the CIA and British intelligence orchestrated the overthrow of Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. The operation—code-named Ajax—was the first successful U.S.-engineered coup of the Cold War, executed to protect Western oil interests and prevent perceived Soviet expansion. The result would shape the geopolitics of the Middle East for decades, replacing democracy with monarchy and sowing the seeds of revolution.

This book traces Operation Ajax fro...