New Yorker:

At this stage, much of this material [on the 1953 coup] might appear to be primarily of historical interest. But that doesn’t mean that it lacks importance. In Iran, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries, history, particularly colonial history, is a living presence that helps shape many people’s attitudes to the West. For example, many Americans can’t understand why so many Egyptians think that the United States is secretly orchestrating what is happening in Cairo. But throughout the Middle East, events like the Iranian coup and the Suez crisis still figure much larger in the public imagination than they do in this country.

As for us, there are least two lessons to draw. First, we should pay more attention to history. In watching the events convulsing the Middle East, and thinking about how to react to them, it is essential to be aware of how we got to this juncture. Second, the official version of history is often very different from what really happened. During the Cold War, as now, the reality of what the U.S. government was doing was often hidden in classified documents. In the case of the coup against Mossadegh, it’s taken sixty years for the full truth to emerge. Doubtless, it will take almost as long for us to learn everything about the spying agencies’ electronic prosecution of the “War on Terror.” But thanks to Edward Snowden and journalists like Glenn Greenwald, we’ve at least had an advance briefing.

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