OIL KINGS: Mika Brzezinski interviews Andrew Scott Cooper on new Book

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OIL KINGS: Mika Brzezinski interviews Andrew Scott Cooper on new Book
by Darius Kadivar
27-Sep-2011
 

Andrew Scott Cooper ’94 is receiving plaudits for his epic new book, “The Oil Kings: How The U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed The Balance of Power in the Middle East,” which traces the high-stakes international politics of oil in the 1970s.

“The Oil Kings” chronicles the efforts of Henry Kissinger, throughout the Nixon and Fordto support the Shah of Iran as a bulwark against communism. Policies intended to stabilize the Shah’s regime,Cooper suggests, actually damaged the global economy, strengthened Saudi Arabia and ultimately helped accelerate the Shah’s downfall.

Recommended Reading:

How Nixon Courted the Shah by Joan Oleck

Related pictory:

Diplomatic History:Shah and King Faisal discuss Future of Persian Gulf (1971)

Recommended Blogs:

Tunisia could benefit from bitter lessons of Iran’s clumsy '79 revolution

Niall Ferguson Blasts Barack Obama For Failed Egypt Foreign Policy

AUTHENTIC FRONTIER GIBBERISH: Egypt's Rebuffs Washington's Speed Up Calls ;0)


MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski( daughter of Zbigniew Brzezinski ) interview with Andrew Scott Cooper on His Book“The Oil Kings”:

About the Author:

Andrew Scott Cooper, who formerly served as the Journalism School’s director of alumni relations, is a citizen of the U.S., U.K., and New Zealand. Hehas also worked for the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and Working Assets,among other non-profit organizations.

“The Oil Kings” is Cooper's first book.

Book available on Amazon.com

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CLUELESS MIKA !

Not Everyone Has Alzheimers You Know? … ;0)

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Historian Niall Ferguson ( currently working on a Biography on Kissinger) Blasts Mika Brzezinski on Barack Obama For Failed Egypt Foreign Policy and comparing it to Carter on Iran:

Carter’s National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and Gary Sick arrive in Pakistan on Afghan Border to Encourage Jihad Against Soviets:

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THE OIL KING

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Shah's Bold OPEC Speech (1973):

Shah Interview with Barbara Walters and US Networks (1974-77)

The Shah of Iran interviewed by Barbara Walters in 1977 about Iran's increasing Oil prices and a 1974 Report on the Oil Crisis shows the Shah hitting back at theWest's permissive society.

Barbara Walters questions Shah about the CIA and Oil Price Vs Arms: During Jimmy Carter's Presidency (1977):

US Network Report about Oil Crisis triggered by Iran's raise of Oil Price and interview of the Shah during the Nixon/Ford Presidency (1974):

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SHAH WANTS THE BOMB

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The Shah on French TV say’s Iran is not a NATO Member and has to have the rightto defend itself in the face of Foreign attack:

Shah of Iran Meets Saddam Hussein at Algiers to Sign a Non aggression Treaty under the auspice of the Arab League:

Sadat and Shah supervise Military Operations in Persian Gulf:

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OUR MAN IN WASHINGTON

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Ardeshir Zahedi (born October 16, 1928) was an important Iranian diplomat during the 1960s and 1970s, serving as the country's foreign minister and its ambassador to the United Kingdom.And later to the United States.


NBC Profile of Ardeshir Zahedi in December 1st, 1974:


Description of Footage:
Zahedi arrives at actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's Party greeted by her and friends John Gavin (future Ambassador to Mexico Under Ronald Reagan’s Presidency), TV host Johnny Carson. Zahedi inspects Military aircrafts about to be purchased by Iran’s goverment from Graumann’s Aircraft Industry. Similar visit in California military base. B1 Bomber, and Satellite Systems at Los Angeles, California. Interview at Iranian American Friendship Reunion in Los Angeles. Zahedi greets diplomats and celebrities at Imperial Iran’s Embassy in Washington.

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THE SHAH:

A US OR ISRAELI STOOGE ?

OR A DIE HARD PATRIOT ?

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Shah of Iran: We are No Toys of Any Country, including the United States":

Mike Wallace reads out the CIA Psychological report on the Shah’s personality:

Shah of Iran on Persian Gulf and Jewish Lobby:

Shah of Iran’s Rebuttal of Mike Wallace use of the term "Gulf" instead of "Persian Gulf" and onthe Influence of the Jewish Lobby

The Shah on the Brown Eyed People Vs Blue Eyed People:

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THE SHAH AND THE REPUBLICANS

(Nixon,Reagan, Rockefeller, Helms)

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Greeted by President Nixon The Shah of Iran makes an amazing speech on "Revolutions" vs "Evolutions" in the Middle East which seems to echo through time given what is taking place today in the the MiddleEast and North Africa. (10/21/1969)

Another Proof that Shah was No US Puppet:

Ataped conversation between Senator Ronald Reagan and President Richard Nixon disappointed by the Shah's lack of Support on a Resolution regarding incidents between the US and China at the United Nations (1971).

Nixon Transcript in the beginning of the conversation:

Nixon:"We didn't get Iran though, Dammit you figure there is the Shah, we'vedone all the things for him, but eh ... and then these African countries I mustsay they were disappointing ..."

Shahof Iran at the National Press Club, 1973:

"Asfar as we are concerned, we are not the toys of any country, including the United States"

Reagan on Shah:

Paradoxically despite the Shah's apparent rebuttal of Nixon in the above conversation,Presidential candidate Reagan talks about why he objected to Jimmy Carter abandoning the support for Shah of Iran, during pre-election debate

David Rockefeller Talks About The Shah Of Iran:

Richard Helms on U.S. Public Opinion, Debate and Wars:

Richard McGarrah Helms (March 30, 1913 - October 22, 2002) was the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) from 1966 to 1973. From 1973 to 1976 heserved as US ambassador to Iran in Tehran. ( More on Helms Here )

NOTE1: The character William Martin, portrayed by Cliff Robertson inthe 1977 television miniseries Washington Behind Closed Doors (basedon John Ehrlichman'snovel The Company,was loosely based on Helms.

Recommended BOOK:

An Ambassador's Wife in Iran, by Cynthia Helms

Mrs. Helms' recollections of the mid-1970s in Iraninclude society-page material-who was there, what they wore, what they ate-vignettes of Embassy house keeping, and an intelligent tourist's curiosity about a new country. She was aware of the problems beneath the surface glitter of the Shah's Iran and gives some impressions of leading personalities, but on matters of policy and diplomacy, and what her Ambassador-husband was up to, she maintains total discretion.

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THE SHAH AND THE DEMOCRATS

(Truman,Eisenhower, Kennedy, Carter)

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Harry Truman Welcomes Shah:

Shah of Iran and various Presidents notably Eisonhower:

Shah and Kennedy:

Carter Toasts Shah:

Related Pictory:

pictory: (SURPRISE) Shah and Sadat Pro Palestine Statement (1975)

RUSSIAN ROULETTE: Shah's Historic State Visit to Brezhnev's USSR

TOP GUN: Grumman F-14 promotional film 1970's Iran

pictory:Imperial Iranian Airforce 53rd Year in Service Celebration (1977)

Diplomatic History: Farah in Communist China (1970's)

DIPLOMATIC HISTORY: Farah and China's Zhou Enlai ( ~1972-73 )

Princess Ashraf Visits USSR's Leonid Brezhnev (1960's)

THE RED AND THE BLACK: Shah of Iran denounces the Unholy Alliance (1977/78)

pictory:Shah of Iran on NBC's Meets the Press (1975)

Related Blogs:

AIR FORCE ONE: Richard Nixon's State Visit to Iran (1972)

FIRST LADIES: Shahbanou Farah and the late Betty Ford (1918-2011)

Shah to Nixon on "Revolutions" vs "Evolutions" in Middle East (1969)

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Darius Kadivar

Oh and When Were Foreign Workers Beheaded during the Shah ?

by Darius Kadivar on


Saudi beheading of eight Bangladesh workers condemned (bbc)

 

8 October 2011  

 

The public execution of eight Bangladeshi migrant workers in Saudi Arabia has been condemned by a leading human rights group in Bangladesh, Ain O Salish Kendra.

The workers were beheaded in public in Riyadh on Friday after they were found guilty of killing an Egyptian in2007.

Three other Bangladeshis were sentenced to prison terms and flogging in the same case.

More than two million Bangladeshis work in Saudi Arabia.


Darius Kadivar

Iraneh Shahanshahy Koja ... Sahrayeh Arabha Koja ...

by Darius Kadivar on

Speaking of Oil Kings ...


Diplomatic History:Shah and King Faisal discuss Future of Persian Gulf (1971)

 

How about considering the contrast on how that Wealth  was distributed ( however imperfectly) and the difference of the social and economic ambitions  in both Kingdoms for a change ? ... 

 

As Saudi Arabia tries shyly to give some rights to it's other half citizens : 


Women in Saudi Arabia 'to vote and run in elections' (cnn)


Only to punish them when they go astray ...


Saudi woman to be lashed for defying driving ban (bbc)


We Were Light Years Ahead as early as the 1960's:


Women Affairs:


WOMEN GET TO VOTE: Female Crowd Gratefully Gather At Shah's Palace (1963)


A Women for All Seasons : Farokhroo Pārsā (1922-1980)


pictory: Promotional Film on Women during Pahlavi Era (1970's)


Mahnaz Afkhami The last Female Minister during the Shah's Era


Mahnaz Afkhami: A Women For All Seasons (VOA/BBC Interviews)


Women's Day: Mahnaz Afkhami Pioneer Feminist (1975)


pictory: Female Ministers in Pahlavi Era (1970's)


WOMEN RIGHTS: Princess Ashraf Chairman of Women Status Commission (1965)


Women's Day: First Women to Attend Tehran University (1940's/1950's)





Industry:


pictory: Iran's Industrial Progress-Pahlavi Era Promotional Film (1970's)


Military defense:


TOP GUN: Grumman F-14 promotional film 1970's Iran


Social Progress:


British Echo News 1973 Coverage on Pahlavi Iran’s March Towards Progress


Cultural and educational investment on the future:


Shahbanou Farah Speaks about Kanoon Institute's Legacy (VOA)


EMINENT PERSIANS:Lily AmirArjomand Managing Director of Kanoon (Andisheh TV)


pictory: Documentary film on Kanoon Institute (1973


SHIRAZ INTL ARTS FESTIVAL '69: Documentary "Sound the Trumpets Beat the Drums" (1969)



Diplomatic Corps:


DIPLOMATIC CORPS: Mehrangiz Dolatshahi First Woman Ambassador of Imperial Iran (1960)


DIPLOMATIC HISTORY: Farah and China's Zhou Enlai ( ~1972-73 )


NBC Television's Profile of Ardeshir Zahedi (Dec 1st, 1974)



I wonder what all You Jomhurykhahs have to say to justify the Legitimacy of YOUR DEVOLUTION ? ...


COMPLAINING JOMHURYKHAH: What Have the Pahlavis EVER Done For Us ? ;0)


TREASON IS A MATTER OF DATES: Constitutionalist Response to a Jomhurykhah Query


If Anyone owes an Apology to Iranians 32 years on it's You Namak Nashnas Lots !


Ebrahim Golestan: "The Shah's Coronation Made Me Wanna Vomit" (BBC)


FINALLY GETTING IT RIGHT: Shirin Ebadi say's "I Don't believe in an Islamic Declaration of Human Rights"


DEATH - VERTISING ? Mehrangiz Kar Claims Husband was No More a Monarchist


VOA Doh Roozeh Aval with Abdol Karim Lahidji on the IRI Constitution


SHEKAYAT KOJA ? Akbar Ganji say's Iran has less than 1000 Political Prisoners


REPUBLICAN OFFSPRING: Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani in Savak Prison (1970's)


REPUBLICAN OFFSPRING: Massoud Rajavi at Tehran University during Presidential Campaign (1980)


I Rest my Case !


Words For Eternity ...


Darius Kadivar

The Book is actually a good read

by Darius Kadivar on

Yes I bought the book two weeks ago and currently reading it.

Cooper like Milani had access to new never released before material ( notably CIA and MI6 archives) but just like Milani, he seems at times to rush quickly to make a crowd pleasing conclusion. 

He sounds like an enthusiastic College graduate who is too infatuated by his discoveries to take the time to step out of the picture and take a broader look at the realities of that era. 

 

So I disagree with much of his conclusions but I find what he reveals from those documents far more interesting than his personal views. 

 

But overall just like Milani's Biography it is an Interesting book although in this interview Cooper seems to give too much credit to Carter's Administration ( notably because the other guests (carefully chosen by the ever clueless Mika Brzezinski ) on the show are putting the words in his mouth) and sheds a negative light on Kissinger deemed too Pro Shah for Carter groupies .

Not surprisingly Gary Sick endorses the book with a tribute to the author.

However there are some very interesting passages in the book which I found more embarrassing for the Western Powers than for the Shah which the book like nearly all literature on his regime judges with the expected patronizing outlook

As such although the author seems to suggest that the Western / American / European support for the Shah was foolish, the book's thesis actually serves the opposite purpose in that it shows that the Shah truly had Iran's interests at heart and that he was anything but a puppet of the Americans, rather the opposite, it was the Shah who was pulling the strings and forcing the Americans to sell him all he wanted.

Funny how the Islamic Revolutionary slogans and ALL the negative Literature to date on the Shah's regime fooled everyone and continues to fool everyone to this day.

Cooper may not realize it but his book actually comforts much of the conspiracy theories which suggest that the West aimed at toppling the Shah. In the book the Saudis serve that purpose indirectly.

Wish someone would use all this material to draw a very different picture of the Shah than all these "Democrat" Moralists in the West and our own Clueless historians ( à la Bahram Moshiri).

Not surprising that Brezinski's daughter jumped on the occasion to mention the book thinking it would contribute to shedding a positive light on his father and the Carter Administration. It actually serves the opposite conclusion. LOL  



The Man who masterminded America's "Green Belt" diplomacy during Carter's Presidency:

Zbigniew Brzezinski to Jihadists: Your cause is right! ( Note Gary Sick stands next to Brzezinski in the clip)

 

 

 

  My Humble Opinion,   DK 

 

 

PS: Mika's father was Gary Sicks Boss , so no wonder Sick oversaw this work very closely and dedicates a positive comment on the books back cover ... ;0)


vildemose

 Dear DK: Have you read

by vildemose on

 Dear DK: Have you read the book yet?

Reform requires the consent of the corrupt