LSE Research channel | Video

Contributor(s): | Governments worldwide invest heavily to project a positive image on the global stage, spending billions to host events like the #WorldCup or #Olympics in hopes of building prestige and soft power.What happens when the unity and success they aim to showcase clash with the real struggles of their people? What happens when citizens flood the streets to challenge this glossy narrative and offer a different vision of national identity? #Brazil’s protests before the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Contributor(s): | The pivotal 1953 coup in Iran, orchestrated by the CIA and MI6, toppled the democratically elected Prime Minister Muhammad Mossadegh. Renowned scholar Fawaz Gerges explains how this event set a precedent for an American foreign policy of intervention in the region, shaping the political landscape of the Middle East.  This video is based on research from Fawaz Gerges’ new book, What Really Went Wrong?: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East, available here: