Iran & the West

A riveting three-hour BBC series about the relationship between Iran and the "West" over the last few decades. It clearly sets out the chronological history, but what makes it great are the interviews with major players, including Khatami, Vance, Rafsanjani, de Cuellar, Albright and Larijani. These personal accounts of vital meetings, brinkmanship, exasperation on all sides - even straightforward low comedy - are fascinating. Behind-the-scenes negotiations, shifting allegiances and politicians or diplomats being outflanked by unforeseen events put the familiar (and often baffling) news stories in context, together with great use of archive footage.

I can't recommend it highly enough, especially in the light of current events.

Even though it's a few years old now, this documentary is still relevant, as relations between Iran and the West (US & Western Europe) have not changed much since 2009. It works especially well as a reminder that the situation is far more complex than the two-dimensional "good vs. evil" scenario often presented by some politicians and media outlets.

One thing I found bothersome was the translation of the non-English portions. I don't speak Farsi, but I could detect some summarization and omission of the French speakers' words in the subtitles. Anything less than a complete and accurate translation is unacceptable in a production of this caliber, and for that reason, I think it deserves less than 10 stars.

Iran seems to be the current focus of the US. The bulls eye in the 'axis of evil'. While the war drums are beating, the West is being convinced by the major political players that Iran has an almost pathological need to pretty much guarantee its own destruction. Iran according to them has never been threatened, and the US never interferes with the political processes of countries in the Middle East.

'Iran and The West' should be compulsory viewing for anyone who has an opinion on the current tensions between the US and Iran. It is almost sad to see matters being escalated over time due to mistrust and political mechanisations. Iran is far more liberal, has a rich cultural heritage, and has much more in common with the US than countries like Saudia Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, yet the Petrodollar dictates that the US sides with Saudia Arabia which is the center of ideological Islamic fundamentalism rather than Iran, where fundamentalism only survives due to the standoff perpetuated by the US at the behest of Saudi Arabia and Israel.

'Iran and The West' boasts a list of political heavyweights including former Presidents, Foreign Secretaries, Minsters and Ambassadors with dialogue switching between various people to prove the authenticity of the narrative.

Political documentaries do not get much better than this.