The day after Za'im's coup, Copeland and the American agents went to inform the new dictator whom he would appoint as ambassadors and cabinet ministers. Two subsequent, US-backed coups backfired. 1952 - The US helps engineer a coup against British puppet ruler of Egypt, King Farouk. CIA backs a young colonel, Gammal Abdel Nasser. CIA tries first to overthrow, than assassinate Nasser.
All attempts fail.
1953 - Iran's popular, elected leader, Mohammed Mossadegh, attempts to assert Iranian control of his nation's oil industry, whose profits go to the US and Britain. Iran's US-trained secret police keep the Shah in power through a reign of terror. Islamic-nationalist revolution sweeps Iran in 1979, ending US domination. 1958 - Washington installs a client regime in Lebanon, which then dutifully calls for US troops. Beginning of Lebanon's 35 years of instability and civil war.