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What Is The Real Cost Of Imperialism?

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What is the real cost of Imperialism? Is it a human cost or a cultural cost? Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Iran has been embroiled in a struggle to maintain its own autonomy against western influences as mentioned by Shiva Balaghi in her work entitled “A Brief History of 20th-Century Iran” (Balaghi). Western involvement has plagued the Middle East for a long time, especially upon Iranians. Much of this is due to Iran being situated in such a strategic position in the Middle East. Also, Iran has always been one of the most enriched countries in oil production according to Renaissance Charter School in their work, “Western Influence in Iran” (West). These advantages for Iran earn it additional western attention, inevitably turning them into disadvantages. As a result of this attention, western countries will be routinely involved in the affairs of Iran for a long time. Many problems that badly afflict Iran are a result of this constant western intervention. However, the Iranian government also becomes very corrupt during the middle of the twentieth century that contributes a significant amount to problems in Iran. The rise of Ayatollah Khomeini and Islam taking over the Iranian government are consequences that are tied to Iranian officials, most notably Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. On the other hand, western involvement is what sparked a lot of government issues in Iran. This leaves the West with the majority of the responsibility for many past problems of Iran, for

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