With a thrilling narrative that sheds much light on recent events this national bestseller brings to life the 1953 CIA coup in Iran that ousted the countrys elected prime minister ushered in a quarter-century of brutal rule under the Shah & stimulated the rise of Islamic fundamentalism & anti-Americanism in the Middle East. Selected as one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post & The Economist it now features a new preface by the author on the folly of attacking Iran.