The Persian Puzzle

Autum 2026, Hanover, New Hampshire

Introduction

Understanding Persia/Iran

History and Lessons Learned

Ancient Civilizations, Religious Divisions, Imperial Ambitions, Political Betrayals

Coups and Revolutions – Catastrophic Miscalculations

The Persian Puzzle — Lecture #1

October 3, 2026

2500 Years of History

Ancient Empires, Foreign Invasions, Religious Transformations

Resilience of Persian Culture

The Persian Puzzle — Lecture #2

October 10, 2026

The Shahs, British Imperialism, Foreign Exploitation, Oil

Shakespeare’s Wisdom: Power, Greed, Political Folly

The Persian Puzzle — Lecture #3

October 17, 2026

The 1953 U.S. – CIA Coup of Mossadegh, Pahlavi’s White Revolution

The American Hostage Crisis, Khomeini, the “Stolen” Revolution

The Persian Puzzle — Lecture #4

October 24, 2026

Iraq,   9/11,   U.S. State Dept.,   Israel

Unintended Consequences      Authoritarian, Islamic-Shia Theocracy

Hamlet, King Lear, Richard III