Iran-Africa Connections in the Late Pahlavi Period
Wednesday, 9 March 2022
Speaker: Dr Robert Steele
In recent years scholars of Iran have begun to look beyond Europe and the United States, to examine Iran’s relations with the global South and its role in the global process of decolonization. In this lecture, Dr Robert Steele will discuss his current book project on Iran’s political and cultural connections with Africa in the 1960s and 70s, with a particular focus on the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa. He explores the roles of oil, culture, political ideology and religion in facilitating Iran’s engagement in Africa, Iran’s developing security interests in East Africa, and asks why Pahlavi Iran was such an appealing partner to the newly-independent African states.
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"The Most Magnificent Party in History" or "The Devil's Feast?": The Shah's imperial celebrations of 1971 and problems in the historiography of late Pahlavi Iran
Wednesday, 10 November 2021
Speaker: Dr Robert Steele
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Persepolis Celebration that marked the 2,500-year anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great. This lavish spectacle was one of the iconic moments in the history of late Pahlavi Iran, often cited as a turning point towards the 1978-79 Revolution. In this lecture, Dr Robert Steele will provide a new history of the celebrations and their role in Iran’s history. He examines some of the problems in the historiography of late Pahlavi Iran that he encountered in the research for his recent book on the celebrations and offers some suggestions as to how these can be overcome.
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The 1979 Revolution in Iran: important or not?
Thursday, 24 October 2019
Speaker: Professor Evrand Abrahamian
The Iranian Revolution shook the world, but left little lasting impact outside Iran. Ervand Abrahamian will address this puzzling paradox of modern Iranian history in this Annual Gulf History Lecture.
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The Arab/Persian Binary: Histories of Culture and Conflict in the Persian Gulf
Thursday, 15 March 2018
Speaker: Professor Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet
Arabs and Persians have historically been placed in a binary and oppositional relationship. This bifurcated past has influenced the contemporary politics and historiography of the region, with far-reaching consequences for the stability and economic viability of different Middle Eastern communities.
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End of Empire: Britain's Withdrawal from the Persian Gulf
Thursday, 26 November 2015
Speaker: Professor WM Roger Louis
Eminent historian Professor Louis examined Britain’s role in the creation of the United Arab Emirates and the origins of the contemporary Persian Gulf. In January 1968 the British government announced the withdrawal of all troops from the Persian Gulf. This lecture placed the decision within the context of British economic priorities, regional conflicts in Aden and Yemen, and the American war in Vietnam. Above all it explained the reasons why the British upon final departure from the Gulf in 1971 were able to preside over the successful creation of the United Arab Emirates.
This event was hosted by the Department of International History with the generous support of the LSE Kuwuait Programme.
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"A Matter of Life and Death for the Country": The Iranian Intervention in Oman, 1972 - 1975
Thursday, 23 October 2014
Speaker: Professor James Goode
This became one of the Shah’s most successful foreign initiatives. He entered at the request of Sultan Qabus to help quell a Marxist rebellion in Dhufar province. Acting for reasons wholly related to Iran’s regional security, he angered most of his Arab neighbours. His troops tipped the balance, helping to speed the end of the insurrection, for which Iran earned the lasting gratitude of the sultan.
The annual LSE Gulf History Lecture was hosted by the LSE Department of International History, with the generous support of the LSE Kuwait Programme.
Recording no longer available
Nixon, Kissinger and the Shah: The United States and Iran in the Cold War by Roham Alvandi
Thursday, 16 October 2014
Speaker: Dr Roham Alvandi
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, is often remembered as a pliant instrument of American power during the Cold War. In this lecture and book launch, Roham Alvandi offered a revisionist account of the Shah's relationship with the United States by examining the partnership he forged with Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger in the 1970s. Dr Alvandi discussed how the Shah shaped US policy in the Persian Gulf under Nixon and Kissinger, including the CIA’s covert support for the Kurdish revolt in northern Iraq, and the US role in the origins of Iran’s nuclear program. Dr Alvandi drew on the history of Iran’s Cold War partnership with the United States to examine the potential for Iranian-American cooperation in the Middle East today.
Recording no longer available