Book contents
- Heroes to Hostages
- The Global Middle East
- Heroes to Hostages
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Transliteration
- Introduction Heroes or Hostages
- Part I Uncertain Overtures (1796–1914)
- Part II Desultory Modernities (1914–1941)
- Part III Cataclysms (1941–1963)
- Part IV A Troubled Middle East (1960–1979)
- 10 The Anti-Aryan Moment
- 11 A Political Minefield
- 12 The Shah’s Fight for Hegemony
- Part V The Schism (1978–1988)
- Bibliography
- Index
12 - The Shah’s Fight for Hegemony
From the Persian Gulf to the Vietnam War
from Part IV - A Troubled Middle East (1960–1979)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 August 2023
- Heroes to Hostages
- The Global Middle East
- Heroes to Hostages
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- A Note on Transliteration
- Introduction Heroes or Hostages
- Part I Uncertain Overtures (1796–1914)
- Part II Desultory Modernities (1914–1941)
- Part III Cataclysms (1941–1963)
- Part IV A Troubled Middle East (1960–1979)
- 10 The Anti-Aryan Moment
- 11 A Political Minefield
- 12 The Shah’s Fight for Hegemony
- Part V The Schism (1978–1988)
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Cold War, oil, and new borders intensified the fight for hegemony in the Middle East. The shah maneuvered around thorny international issues by keeping intact his ties to different US administrations. Iran watched the Vietnam War with concern but maintained a balanced stance. Elsewhere, the creation of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) brought some regional cooperation. However, in the Persian Gulf, Iran became isolated and faced competition from the Arabian Peninsula and the newly Arab states of the south. Its conflict with Iraq escalated until a short-lived truce was concluded in 1975. Iran also flexed its muscles by supporting the Sultanate in Oman during the conflict in Dhofar, but the shah’s interventions only fueled the domestic unrest against his rule. Student groups and artists increasingly decried the shah’s dictatorial ways.
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- Information
- Heroes to HostagesAmerica and Iran, 1800–1988, pp. 289 - 312Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023