Axis of Empire

In a time when Iran is so often reduced to caricature or demonised, Afshin Matin-Asgari has stepped into the breach to provide a highly nuanced and sophisticated account of US-Iranian relations. Axis of Empire deftly traces two centuries of encounters between Iranians and Americans, weaving together statecraft, culture, and everyday lives in a narrative that is both sweeping and deeply human. The result is a lucid and compelling history that challenges received wisdom and illuminates the complex entanglements of imperial power and resistance. This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the troubled but consequential relationship between the United States and Iran. – Eskandar Sadeghi, School of International Relations at the University of St Andrews
After decades of learned scholarship, Afshin Matin-Asgari’s Axis of Empire finally gives the story of US-Iran relations a bold and precise account of imperial and colonial underpinnings it badly needed. Uniquely positioned to tell this story, Matin-Asgari restores the authority and confidence of a solid critical perspective on a fraught relationship today befuddled by a mudslide of reactionary commotions. This one solid volume saves you from unending miles of useless thunder noise on your newsfeed abusively misinformed by tons of flawed and reactionary Newspeak. – Hamid Dabashi, author of Iran: A People Interrupted
Matin-Asgari sheds light on the US role in undermining the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution. – Arron Reza Merat * Jacobin *
A potent antidote to the delusional fantasies that the US will bring peace, prosperity and freedom to Iranians. * Middle East Eye *
This “accessible history” traces America’s century and a half long obsession with Iran. From the Cold War to the hostage crisis, Matin-Asgari characterizes the countries’ long relationship as a matrix of intrigue and influence. * Lit Hub *
Accessible and analytically rich … useful both for general readers and students of international relations. – Peerzada Mahboob Ul Haq * Outlook India *
Impressive … Well written, deeply researched, and highly topical, this is a work of history that deserves to be read widely on the left and beyond. – Jack Taylor * Tribune *
Axis of Empire presents an accessible history of US-Iran relations * Daily Star *

Afshin Matin-Asgari was born in Iran and studied in the US, where he was active in the 1970s anti-Shah student opposition. He returned to Iran to participate in the Iranian Revolution. Matin-Asgari is currently a Professor of Middle East history at California State University, Los Angeles. He has published two scholarly monographs and more than two dozen articles and book chapters on modern Iranian political and intellectual history, specializing in leftist thought and movements.

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