Why does the rift between the US and Iran persist? Iran and the
United States have been at odds for forty years, locked in a cold
war that has run the gamut from harsh rhetoric to hostage-taking,
from crippling sanctions to targeted killings. In Republics of
Myth, Hussein Banai, Malcolm Byrne, and John Tirman argue that a
major contributing factor to this tenacious enmity is how each
nation views itself. The two nations have differing interests and
grievances about each other, but their often-deadly confrontation
derives from the very different national narratives that shape
their politics, actions, and vision of their own destiny in the
world. The dominant American narrative is the myth of the
frontier-that the US can tame it, tame its inhabitants, and nurture
democracy as well. Iran, conversely, can claim two dominant myths:
the first, an unbroken (but not for lack of trying) lineage back to
Cyrus the Great, and the second, the betrayal of Imam Hussein, the
Prophet's grandson. Both Iranian myths feature a detestable
outsider as an enemy of the Iranian state and source of the
nation's ills and misfortune. The two countries have clashed so
severely in part, the authors argue, because their national
narratives constantly drive them to do so. Drawing on newly
declassified documents and discussions with policymakers, the
authors analyze an array of missed opportunities over several
decades to improve the US-Iran relationship. From the coup d'etat
that overthrew Iran's legitimate premier Mohammad Mosaddeq to the
hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq War, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing,
post-9/11 antagonisms, and other points of conflict, each episode
illustrates anew the weight of historical narratives on present
circumstances. Finally, Barack Obama's diplomacy and Donald Trump's
determination to undo the 2015 nuclear accord are explored-both
examples of the enduring power of America's frontier narrative.
Introducing new insights and knowledge in a highly readable
narrative, Republics of Myth makes a major contribution to
understanding this vital conflict.
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