“The Twilight War” by David Crist – Blood, Greed and Oil

When asked as to which countries the United States are at war with, most people will probably answer Yemen or Afghanistan. However, what many people ignore (besides the fact that the U.S. is involved in many more armed conflicts around the globe) is the fact that the country has been waging a secret war against Iran… for more than thirty years now. 

In his book The Twilight War, David Crist explores in great depth how the conflict evolved over the years, from the Iranian revolution all the way to the current crisis with the country’s nuclear program.

Crist doesn’t try to sensationalize anything, nor does he weave some kind of story. Rather, he uses known facts, information found from key documents as well as witness testimonies in order to construct the most believable and detailed storyline of the U.S. – Iran conflict. What really pleases me is that he doesn’t take any sides here, taking great care to discuss the good both countries have done as well as the bad. 

He provides some much-needed insight and explanations into the dealings between the two countries over the past decades and how some of the decisions which made things worse came to be. 

He isn’t looking for anyone to blame or anything of the sort… rather, the author is much more preoccupied with how the conflict can end up exacerbating United States – Iran relations, and how some day it may will lead to blood, violence, and maybe even death. 

Though the factuality of the book may bore some people, I suspect that it wasn't written for them in the first place. This can be likened to a history book that has been spiced up a bit with a few writing techniques here and there; though it may be entertaining if you are in the right mood, its primary purpose is to teach. As someone who didn't know all that much about the relationship between Iran and the U.S. I found this book to be very helpful, and to a certain extent, eye-opening.

It sheds light on a problem that has been kept in the dark for more than three decades at this point, and just like the other, I have come to see the importance it may have in a few years if today’s tendencies continue. Awareness is an important element to ensuring the integrity and long-term prosperity of humanity, and learning about the big threats which lurk in the shadows is a great start.

And even if you don’t give a damn about changing the world and want to live on with your life, I still recommend you read this book for the way in which the relation between the two countries developed is fascinating to read about in itself.

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David Crist Author of the widely-acclaimed The Twilight War, David Crist is not only a known author, but also works as a historian for the Federal Government, a job many would be envious of. Being an officer in the Marine Corps (served in the first Gulf War and had two tours with elite units in Afghanistan) he saw the struggle against terrorism first-hand, giving him more knowledge on the subject than most others out there.