Ep11 - The UK's Dirty Secret: A History of Foreign Coups

Sometimes, while reading history books, we're left puzzled by the incredible number of countries with dictatorial regimes that have prospered on our planet. Faced with such a staggering number, the question naturally arises: how did these dictatorial regimes manage to take power? Often, of course, it’s through military coups, which install a form of dictatorship by force. It's hard to believe they were democratically elected. However, if we dig deeper, we often find that many of these regimes are the direct result of interference by other countries, or, to put it another way, of foreign intelligence operations—or, to use more politically correct language, "foreign policy" operations. In previous episodes, we’ve already talked about the tireless interference of the United States in dozens of countries, but the U.S., the CIA, and NATO aren’t the only actors in this game. In this episode, we'll talk about another very active player in its interference in other countries: the United Kingdom.

The website Declassified UK, an investigative journalism organization founded in 2019, lists a staggering 42 coups organized or planned by the UK since 1945. Declassified has discovered that the UK has planned or executed over 40 attempts to remove foreign governments in 27 countries since the end of the Second World War, involving intelligence agencies, secret and overt military interventions, and even assassinations.

However, a serious analysis can’t begin without first verifying the reliability of the sources. So it's fair to ask: is Declassified UK a credible source? As is our practice, we prefer to let the facts speak for themselves. After Declassified UK published articles about the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry refused to cooperate or provide any further comments to the journalistic organization. This effective blacklisting in September 2020 led the Council of Europe to issue a media freedom alert for the UK. The British government only intervened to revoke the blacklisting after Declassified UK threatened legal action. This simple reaction from the government, in our opinion, makes Declassified UK a reliable source.

The Tip of the Iceberg: The 1953 Iranian Coup

The Declassified UK article begins by citing probably the most well-known coup carried out by British intelligence: the overthrow of the democratically elected Iranian government in 1953. Here’s what Wikipedia says about it:

“The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état, was the overthrow of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh on August 19, 1953. It was orchestrated by the United States (CIA) and the United Kingdom (MI6). A key objective was to protect British oil interests in Iran after Mossadegh nationalized and refused to concede to Western oil demands. It was instigated by the United States (under the name Project TP-AJAX or Operation Ajax) and the United Kingdom (under the name Operation Boot).”

In short, to protect the economic interests of the British oil company BP (British Petroleum), the U.S. with the CIA and the UK with MI6 interfered in Iran by orchestrating a coup. A move that allowed the British to continue doing business with oil. But what were the consequences for the Iranian people? The consequences of the 1953 coup are widely documented: the consolidation of a dictatorship, the denial of self-determination, and the foreign exploitation of oil resources, leading to long-lasting resistance and a future of political instability and repression...

That’s just a glimpse! The full story — and the full context — are in the podcast episode below. Curious to hear more? Listen the full episode on your favorite platform:

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