The Eagle and the Lion
by James A. Bill
Info: Bill, James A. The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations. Binghamton, NY: Wail-Ballou Press, 1988.
Synopsis: The Eagle and the Lion follows the interaction between Iran and the U.S. from the 1830’s, when missionaries first arrived to Iran, up to the Iran-Contra affair. Specifically, this book analyzes the individuals, both from the government and private sector, who shaped and influenced the U.S.’s image and policy toward Iran. Current influential “Pahlavites” viewed Iran through the lens that was presented to them by the Shah and elite Iranians with connections to the monarch. Thus, when the Shah’s regime finally collapsed, the U.S.’s foreign policy was left blind and ignorant to the workings of Iranian society beyond the elites. On the other hand, Iranians’ image of the U.S. has been tainted by its support for the Shah and the overthrow of Mossadegh in 1953.
