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