A great 'background' piece on Iranian democracy, PM Mossadegh, and the western-led coup:

[pinto]

'All the Shah's Men'
An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

by Stephen Kinzer
2003, John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

For those of you who haven't read it, the story lays a telling background on the rise and fall of Iranian democracy and the ill-fated Mossadegh government.

from the cover flap:

"Half a century ago, the United States overthrew a Middle Eastern government for the first time. The victim was Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran. Although the coup seemed a success at first, today it serves as a chilling reminder about the dangers of foreign intervention."

[Adsos Letter]

1. A most excellent work...

Kinzer documents the events in a truly readable fashion. If you haven't read Kinzer's "Overthrow" you might want to give it a look. He details the history of American involvement in coups beginning with our "annexation" of Hawaii and continuing down to the present. Again, a very readable and informative look at American imperialism, though not as detailed as "All the Shah's Men".