Forces From Within & Without

by J.W. Amran

The setting: Iran during the 1978-1979 revolution. The plot: how a perfect political storm is formed to get rid of the Shah.

This is a fictional story, heavy on the political side, dealing with the game that intertwines the political policies of nations and the power play of the major and all powerful oil companies. The story evolves in the 1970’s at a time when the U.S. is trying to cause religious unrest in the Soviet Union by first making Iran a religious state. Their hope is to create this situation in Iran by supporting, but not openly, a religious fervor through a new religious leader in Iran. The effect of that new religious fervor, they hope, will spill over to several of the Russian states and create civil and religious rebellion in the USSR. Parallel to the United States plotting this course of events to bring down the Soviet government, the major international oil companies are secretly meeting to sabotage the US plans which they see as an extreme detriment to their own operations.

The intrigue is witnessed through the eyes of an American educated Iranian oil executive who has romantic entanglements with a top oil company lobbyist. During the tumultuous times of the Iranian revolution and embassy takeover, he is forced to try and escape from those that would arrest and kill him. His harrowing experiences in trying to work his way out of Iran to the Turkish border are both funny and frightening.

Although fictional, the book is peppered with true and real stories, anecdotes and folklore as witnessed by the author during the pre and post revolution days in Iran. It is a depiction of internal and external forces coming together making the perfect storm to overthrow the Shah of Iran.

Genres: Historical Fiction

158 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2013

About the author

The author was born in Iran and educated in the United States. He was living in Iran with his American born wife in 1978 when the revolution took place. He was personally involved in a number of incidents reported in this book. He witnessed first hand how a relatively modern and progressive country was thrown back into the dark ages through confluence of internal dissatisfied groups and external political interests. Being an academic the author was perplexed by the willingness of the intellectuals to move into Khomeinie's camp and was amused how the left and communists jumped on the religion band wagon, that they never believed in, hoping to take over after fall of the Shah. This book tries to depict the everyday life of the professional people during this tumultous time.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the late 1970’s, during the time of upheaval and revolution in Iran, "Forces From Without & Within" details the secret United States involvement in attempting to overthrow the terminally ill Shah, causing instability that may, through a domino effect, boil over and further destabilize the foundation in the U.S.S.R. The powerful oil companies are in total disagreement, seeing this as a threat to their survival and bottom line, hold a clandestine meeting on a secluded island to determine how to best undermine the government plans. Their plans, given the code word “Cobra,” are furthered by trusted aides in a conference in Italy. One of these attendees shares these secret meetings with her lover, an American educated Iranian oil executive who gets caught up in the chaos of the revolution and must flee for his life.

"Forces From Within & Without" by J. W. Amram , while a fictional novel, is liberally sprinkled with true life events, per the author’s own experiences and knowledge, richly enhancing the intrigue of this book! I felt the power and self-confidence wielded by many of its characters through the author’s detailed descriptions and precise prose, from the initial government discussions to the opulence the oil magnates met in! The world-building colored the backgrounds with an often ominous feel, invoking me to pay close attention because This. Was. Big. I highly recommend Forces From Within & Without as an insight into the political machinations going on behind the scenes!

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[Linda Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave a great insite as to what was happening at that time in Iran, and who played a big part in the overthrough of the Shah. Made you wonder what influence it had on the problems in the world today. Would recommend to anyone who is interested in the Middle East.

[Jason Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that takes the what if or inside factors of political and religious war fares against each other.
Feel that it kind of rushed through the story line. Would have loved to see more depth and details given to the characters introduced throughout the book.