Russia in Iran: The Times and Life of Diplomat Jakolevich Korrostovetz

Russia in Iran: The Times and Life of Diplomat Jakolevich Korrostovetz

“Russia’s role in Iranian history since the nineteenth century is well known, to be sure.  But especially for the period until World War I, it tends to be narrated in a patterned and somewhat reductionist manner, typically through the lens of the ‘Great Game,’ with Iran a mere buffer state between Russia and Great Britain, a hapless victim of great power politics (a notion cherished by many Iranians, who often see themselves as victims rather th…