American and British soft power in Iran, 1953-1960 : a 'special relationship'?

This book offers a distinctive approach to understanding Anglo-American relations with Iran in the early Cold War. It establishes how the United Kingdom and United States used soft power between 1953 and 1960 to combat communism and promote their respective ways of life in Iran. It identifies their motives, the types of initiatives employed, and the extent to which they perceived their policies to be a success. It is a historical case study through which wider conclusions regarding UK and US foreign policy can be drawn. As well as illustrating the competitive tensions within the Anglo-American 'special relationship', it highlights the role of individuals in the making and shaping of diplomatic endeavours. More broadly, the analysis of UK and US interactions in Iran through the prism of soft power underlines that there was more to both countries' Cold War foreign policies than the containment of communism. Darius Wainwright is Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Reading, UK, and Guest Teacher in the Department of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations Chapter 1: Introduction Methodology, Sources and Chapter Structure References Chapter 2: Soft Power, the ‘Special Relationship’ and the Roots of Anglo-American Cultural Diplomacy in Iran American and British Soft Power The ‘Special Relationship’ and the Cold War in the Middle East Iran’s Importance to British and American Foreign Policy Goals American and British Cultural Diplomacy in Iran Before 1951 The Anglo-Iranian Oil Crisis References Chapter 3: Maintaining Geopolitical Stability: The USIS and the Containment of Soviet-Inspired Communism in Iran The Expansion of USIS Initiatives in Iran Initial USIS Initiatives in Iran USIS-Iranian Government Collaboration: The Information Council USIS and Iranian Government Collaboration Beyond the Information Council References Chapter 4: Education and Socio-economic Development: Promoting the American Way of Life in Iran USIS Rationale for Promoting American Norms, Values and Ideas in Iran Expansion of USIS Activities in Iran The USIA and the Plan Organisation References Chapter 5: Maintaining Britain’s Position in Iran: The Information Research Department, SAVAK and Anti-Soviet Propaganda Britain, Iran and the Baghdad Pact IRD-SAVAK Collaboration The Expansion of British Propaganda Activities in Iran References Chapter 6: Anglicising Iranian Society and Culture Through Education: The UK Foreign Office and the British Council The BBC Persian Service’s Failings and the British Council’s Return to Iran The British Council and the Anglo-Iranian Cultural Convention The State Department and the USIS’ Response to British Cultural Diplomacy in Iran References Chapter 7: The Impact of American and British Soft Power in Iran The USIA, USIS and the Containment of Communism in Iran The USIA, USIS and the Promotion of the American Way of Life in Iran The Foreign Office and the Containment of Communism in Iran The Foreign Office, the British Council and UK Cultural Diplomacy in Iran References Chapter 8: Conclusion Index