A book by
Giuseppe Cogni
IRAN:
The Geopolitics of Oil.
The influence of the oil industry on Iran's domestic
and international politics.
The story of how oil, as a raw material, and the oil industry developed around it has conditioned both Iran's domestic and foreign policy for at least a century
Why you should read this book?
"Knowing the history and previous events in Iran is essential to better understand the political, social and economic situation in the country. This reading puts the relationship between politics and economic dependence on a single commodity as the Iranian state's main source of income under the magnifying glass."
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Synopsis
Oil is always at the center of politics. Especially in Middle Eastern countries. Iran is no exception.
The possession and management of oil and gas resources have always been factors behind the outbreak of wars and revolutions.
Iran has never been a stranger to these dynamics.
Iran's domestic and foreign policy has always been conditioned by its geographical location and its natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas. For more than a century, from the discovery of oil until the 1979 revolution and even after, Iran's political history was conditioned by its geographical location first and its enormous natural resources of oil and gas later.
These factors have resulted in the indirect domination of Iran by major world powers. At the same time, the race for domination of energy resources has been a source of confrontation among world powers for more than 100 years.
The meddling of foreign powers in Iran's internal affairs - the U.S., USSR and Britain during the Cold War, and before that, by Czarist Russia and Britain during the Anglo-Russian rivalry - made the country a site of political and diplomatic confrontation throughout the 20th century.
Although Iran has always been a neutral country, it was invaded and occupied during World War I and World War II. It also went through three major internal political events: the Constitutionalist Revolution and the end of the Qajar Dynasty, The nationalization of the oil industry by Prime Minister Mahammad Mosaddeq and the so-called coup d'état of 1953, and finally the Komeinist Isalmic Revolution of 1979 that put an end not only to the Pahlavi Dynasty but also to the long tradition of the Monarchy as an institution in Iran, beginning a new era that goes by the name of the Islamic Revolution.
Iran's various political phases, from the discovery of oil to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, have had as one of the main factors the exploitation of the country's energy resources by foreign oil companies. This fact conditioned domestic and foreign policy choices and the succession of governments and monarchies in Iran. The study of these events will shed light on the domestic and international policy choices of the various governments and ultimately on the reasons for the 1979 Iranian revolution.
Comments on AMAZON
— Amir A.
In "Iran Geopolitics of Oil: The Influence of the Oil Industry on Iran's Domestic and International Affairs, Giuseppe Cogni a comprehensive and enlightening exploration of the intricate relationship between Iran and its oil industry. This book is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking a profound understanding of the geopolitical forces at play in the region
— Samira B.
The events have been detailed and are well documented. It added quite some more information to what I already knew about this part of Iranian history.