Republics of Myth: National Narratives and the US-Iran Conflict

Hussein Banai · Malcolm Byrne · John Tirman

Apr 2022 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Chris Sorensen

About this audiobook

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. 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. 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. 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, each episode illustrates anew the weight of historical narratives on present circumstances. Republics of Myth makes a major contribution to understanding this vital conflict.

About the author

Hussein Banai is an assistant professor of international studies at Indiana University.

Malcolm Byrne is the deputy director and research director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University.

John Tirman is the executive director and principal research scientist at the MIT Center for International Studies.

Chris Sorensen is a veteran audiobook narrator with over 160 titles to his name. He has received three AudioFile Earphones Awards, and his recording of Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix was selected as one of the Best Audiobooks of 2010 by AudioFile magazine. He is a member of SAG-AFTRA and the APA.