Episode Details

Norman Stockwell and Scott Anderson discuss the modern history of Iran. They first consider the U.S. history that begins with Iranian students invading the American embassy Tehran and holding diplomats hostage. Then they discuss the Iranian version that begins with the CIA helping engineer the overthrow of the democratically elected president, Mohamed Mosaddegh, and putting the Shah on the Iranian throne. Scott Anderson supplies the telling details of the events that led to the current disastrous situation at the center of President Donald Trump’s most recent meddling. Anderson is a veteran war correspondent who has reported from some of the most dangerous conflicts in modern times. He is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and his work has also appeared in many popular American magazines. He’s also the author of two novels and six works of nonfiction, including Lawrence in Arabia, an international bestseller and most recently King of Kings, the story of the 1978-79 Iranian Revolution and winner of the 2025 Kirkus Prize for nonfiction. Come for the history, stay for the inside information. Scott Anderson’s Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Anderson_(writer) King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690562/king-of-kings-by-scott-anderson/ Norman Stockwell reviews of Scott Anderson’s recent books: https://progressive.org/magazine/the-progressive-favorite-books-2025-0251215/ and https://progressive.org/magazine/favorite-books-of-2020/