Iran and the West
Encyclopedia
Iran and the West is the name of a three part British documentary series shown in February 2009 on BBC Two
to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution
. The first episode was shown at 9:00pm on Saturday 7 February with parts two and three shown on consecutive Saturdays. The documentary looks at the relationship between Iran
and the countries of the west and features interviews with politicians who have played significant roles in events involving Iran
, Europe
and the United States
since 1979.
The series is produced by Norma Percy
, whose previous series include The Death of Yugoslavia
and Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace.
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
. The first episode was shown at 9:00pm on Saturday 7 February with parts two and three shown on consecutive Saturdays. The documentary looks at the relationship between Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
and the countries of the west and features interviews with politicians who have played significant roles in events involving Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Europe
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1979.
The series is produced by Norma Percy
Norma Percy
Norma Percy is an American-born award winning documentary film maker and producer. The documentaries produced in collaboration with Brian Lapping have covered many of the crises of the 20th Century and were described by the Wall Street Journal as "the Rolls-Royce of documentary-making".-Early...
, whose previous series include The Death of Yugoslavia
The Death of Yugoslavia
The Death of Yugoslavia is a BBC documentary series first broadcast in 1995, and is also the name of a book written by Allan Little and Laura Silber that accompanies the series. It covers the collapse of the former Yugoslavia...
and Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace.
Episodes
| Number | Title | Original airdate | Overview | Contributors |
| 1 | The Man Who Changed the World | 7 February 2009 | Key figures tell the inside story of Ayatollah Khomeini's rise to power, the fall and exile of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Rezā Shāh Pahlavi, Shah of Iran, Shah of Persia , ruled Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow by the Iranian Revolution on 11 February 1979... and the events surrounding the Iran hostage crisis Iran hostage crisis The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States where 52 Americans were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamist students and militants took over the American Embassy in Tehran in support of the Iranian... . |
Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... . Walter Mondale Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota... Warren Christopher Warren Christopher Warren Minor Christopher was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician. During Bill Clinton's first term as President, Christopher served as the 63rd Secretary of State. He also served as Deputy Attorney General in the Lyndon Johnson administration, and as Deputy Secretary of State in the Jimmy... Mohsen Rafiqdoust Farah Pahlavi Farah Pahlavi Farah Pahlavi is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress of modern Iran... Fidel Castro Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011... |
| 2 | The Pariah State | 14 February 2009 | Inside stories are told by two ex-presidents of Iran and leading westerners. Subjects covered in this edition include the Lebanon hostage crisis Lebanon hostage crisis The Lebanon hostage crisis refers to the systematic kidnapping in Lebanon of 96 foreign hostages of 21 national origins – mostly American and western European – between 1982 and 1992... , the Iran-Iraq War Iran-Iraq War The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century... , the death of Ayatollah Khomeini and the changing political climate of the Middle East Middle East The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East... following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the 1991 Gulf War Gulf War The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf... . |
Hashemi Rafsanjani Mohammad Khatami Mohammad Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s... George Shultz Warren Christopher Madeleine Albright Madeleine Albright Madeleine Korbelová Albright is the first woman to become a United States Secretary of State. She was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton on December 5, 1996, and was unanimously confirmed by a U.S. Senate vote of 99–0... |
| 3 | Nuclear Confrontation | 21 February 2009 | The inside story of the West's continuing nuclear confrontation with Iran. Subjects covered in this episode include the rise of the Taliban in Iran's neighbour Afghanistan, the assassination of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq War and Iran's emerging nuclear program Nuclear program of Iran The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. The support, encouragement and participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution... . |
Mohammad Khatami Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when... Jack Straw Jack Straw Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W... |
External links
- Iran and the West at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- TV review: Iran and the West (BBC2), The Telegraph, 9 February 2009
- The Weekend's Television: A grave new world, The Independent, 9 February 2009