There is a word all modern-day politicians love to bandy about and though any occasion is perfect for the word’s use there is one particular one where it rings dramatically true and peculiarly appropriate: this occasion is when politicians seek to stir our patriotic hearts by underlining the difference between us (good, hard working, progressive, psychologically and technologically very advanced, spiritually star-touching) and them (bad, lazy, retrograde, psychologically and technologically in a medieval backwater, spiritually corrupt and Oh! Oh! Oh! woman-bashing!). The word is democracy, and it is something we have (because we deserve it) “they” don’t (because they aren’t the brightest pennies in the purse and have a slave mentality).

Who/what are “they”/”them”? Uniquely in history this isn’t a fixed category and can mutate within days if not minutes subject to whether “they” decide to like/obey us (one should specify here that though the liking part may be simply convincingly pretended, the obeying part must be sincerely followed through, down to the last comma, and no joking).

However, our politicians don’t want to hog all democracy for themselves (and consequently for us) – not at all. They want to cast the seeds of this wonderful concept all over the world and are prepared to do this with any means available whether these should be chocolates and chewing gum, or napalm, depleted uranium, nightly fire-bombing, daily surgical bombing, localised electric personal persuasion (we do not torture), etc. etc. etc.

Seeing that the spirit of democracy-spreading is purportedly genuine (hehehe) let me introduce you to “All the Shah’s Men”.

The book will take you back to the fifties and what we liked to call Persia, and “they” preferred to call Iran. The story goes like this: the Iranians have oil which is their only exportable commodity. The Brits want the oil at a price favourable to the Brits as this would notably boost the British post-war economy. The Iranians don’t mind selling the oil but think (the utter cheek of the people!) that Iranian oil should primarily boost the Iranian economy. The main thinker of these naughty thoughts is Mohammed Mossadegh who becomes Iran’s (and the entire Middle East’s) first democratically (yes, there’s that “D” word!) elected Prime Minister. While Mossadegh tries to safe-guard the Iranian economy and lead the country towards modernisation, the Brits manage to get the US on their side and together block the exports, tinker with Iranian internal matters until Mossadegh is discredited and the Shah of Persia is reinstated as supreme (puppet) ruler - Peacock Court and all.

As a result of this Iran is eventually dragged back to the Middle Ages and the rest of us towards the Gulf Wars.

This is a “must read” for all those who are wondering what is going on in the Middle East today, and why.

Though it reads like a thriller it has nothing to do with fiction and unlike any other thriller, will make you blush with shame, as you ponder about the word “democracy” and those for whom you/we voted and who bandy the word about too easily without any idea about its true meaning.