Iran Historian: War Makes The Government "MORE REPRESSIVE" (w/ Afshin Matin-Asgari)

About this episode

Afshin Matin-Asgari discusses the impact of U.S. involvement in Iran and the repressive nature of the Islamic Republic.

Afshin Matin-Asgari is an Iranian historian and professor of Middle East history at California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–U.S. Relations. He spoke to Current Affairs about the long history of U.S. involvement in Iran—from the 1953 CIA-backed coup to the present conflict—and why foreign intervention has repeatedly strengthened authoritarian forces rather than weakened them. A participant in the 1978 revolution who opposed both the Shah and the Islamic Republic, Matin-Asgari offers a rare perspective on Iranian politics, the nuclear issue, and the current war, arguing that while the Islamic Republic is repressive, Iran’s future must be determined by Iranians themselves, not by the United States or Israel.

People in this episode

Host: Current Affairs

Guest: Afshin Matin-Asgari

Topics covered

• Iran
• U.S. involvement
• authoritarianism
• foreign intervention
• nuclear issue
• Iranian politics

Keywords

• Iran
• U.S. involvement
• Afshin Matin-Asgari
• authoritarianism
• nuclear issue
• 1978 revolution
• foreign intervention

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: California State University, Los Angeles

Books & works: Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–U.S. Relations

Places: Iran, United States, Israel

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