Operation AJAX in Iran in 1953: How The CIA Turned Iran into an Extreme Islamic Country and Prevented True Democracy in the Entire Middle East.

Thank you for your time and for tuning in to the Playing Books podcast. Welcome to the spycraft episode of the Playing Books podcast. In this episode of Playing Books, we discuss Operation Ajax: The Story of the CIA Coup that Remade the Middle East by Mike de Seve, illustrated by Daniel Burwen, with a foreword by Stephen Kinzer, and ask a simple question: what really happened in Iran in 1953, and why does it still shape every headline you scroll past today?This episode and the book, Operation Ajax, remind us that history repeats itself. What we see going on in Iran today follows the pattern of the CIA operation in Iran in 1953. The use of protests, attacks on Iran’s autonomy, CIA dirty operations in foreign governments, and how the West interferes in foreign countries for its own interests. The U.S. government complains of Islamic tyranny in Iran, but they forget that it laid the foundation for Iran to become an extreme Islamic country.This isn’t a dry history class. It’s a graphic, true-life spy thriller where oil prices are soaring, British and American agents are playing chess with a sovereign nation, and a democratically elected leader, Mohammad Mossadegh, is caught between popular hope and secret backroom deals. We talk about how this story of propaganda, paid mobs, and a hidden CIA–MI6 operation didn’t just topple a government—it helped script the next seventy years of Middle East politics and Western foreign policy.We also dig into why telling this story as a graphic novel hits differently: the panels, the pacing, and the way de Seve and Burwen turn declassified documents and historical research into a visual narrative you actually feel in your gut. If you’ve ever wondered why Iran’s relationship with the West is so fraught, or how our global addiction to oil became “just the way things are,” this book—and this conversation—will stay with you long after you hit pause.This is an intense spy story. The book is packed with many applicable lessons. Learn from the book, apply its lessons to how you read the news, and consider purchasing a copy of Operation Ajax on Amazon, from your favorite bookstore, or from your library.If you enjoy this conversation, please comment with your thoughts, share the episode with a friend who loves history or graphic novels, follow and subscribe to Playing Books, and recommend the podcast to someone who needs a fresh way into serious topics. Your support helps us keep turning powerful books into unforgettable, real-world conversations.Remember that the CIA prevented the success of true democracy in the Middle East through Operation AJAX in Iran in 1953.Connect with other art and literature advocates on our social media: playingbooks.orgYouTubeInstagramTwitterTikTokThank you for your time and for listening.