SIS Book Talk : Alan McPherson, The Breach: Iran-Contra

Thu Nov 13 2025 at 05:30 pm to 07:00 pm UTC-05:00

American University, School of International Service, Founders Room | Washington

School of International Service
Publisher/HostSchool of International Service
SIS Book Talk : Alan McPherson, The Breach: Iran-Contra
Advertisement
Join us at AU for a conversation of Alan McPherson's book "The Breach:
Iran-Contra and the Assault on American Democracy".
About this Event

AU Historical International Studies and History Department invites you to a book talk for Temple University Professor Alan McPherson's "The Breach:
Iran-Contra and the Assault on American Democracy".

Thursday, November 13, 2025
5:30 - 7:00 PM EST



Butler Board Room, American University

About the Book:

On its 40th anniversary, Iran-Contra is more relevant than ever.

A president defying Congress. Disrespect for the law. Attacks on the press. Evasion in the courts. The privatization of war. Quid pro quos with foreign nations. The mounting dangers to American democracy have long been with us. But all these perils first emerged together during the Iran-Contra scandal of the Reagan-Bush era. This opaque foreign policy mess has receded from history, a minor speedbump at the triumphant end of the Cold War. With American democracy in increasing jeopardy from the inside, however, Iran-Contra must be reassessed as a major step down that dark path.
In this gripping blow-by-blow account of the 1980s efforts to trade arms with Iran illegally, fund rebels in Central America despite a congressional prohibition, and dodge political and legal consequences once the truth emerged, Alan McPherson argues for the salience of six democracy-degrading behaviors throughout the fiasco. At the time, many warned of the broad attack on democratic norms, yet no one paid a real price or learned a lesson. Those failures left the country more divided than ever before, and ill-equipped for more severe assaults to come.

Find more information here.


About the Author:

Alan McPherson is a professor at Temple University's College of Liberal Arts. He specializes in the history of U.S.-Latin American relations and teaches broadly in U.S. foreign relations and global history. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2001 after receiving an M.A. in history from San Francisco State University (1996) and a B.A. in history and economics from the Université de Montréal (1994). Before coming to Temple, he also taught at the University of Oklahoma (2008-2017) and Howard University (2001-2008). He has published twelve books and dozens of articles and chapters and has been a fellow at Harvard University and twice a Fulbright Fellow.

McPherson's most recent books are "The Breach: Iran-Contra and the Assault on American Democracy (2025) and Ghosts of Sheridan Circle (2019).

Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

American University, School of International Service, Founders Room, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00

Sharing is Caring:

More Events in Washington

Parking Samara Joy
Thu, 13 Nov at 01:00 am Parking Samara Joy

Warner Theatre - DC

Ahee
Thu, 13 Nov at 03:00 am Ahee

Soundcheck

Workday Federal Forum 2025
Thu, 13 Nov at 08:00 am Workday Federal Forum 2025

Waldorf Astoria Washington DC

Matcha + Momentum: Knowing When to Pivot
Thu, 13 Nov at 10:00 am Matcha + Momentum: Knowing When to Pivot

923 15th St NW

Monthly Clean Energy & Transportation Industry Meeting- November 2025
Thu, 13 Nov at 10:00 am Monthly Clean Energy & Transportation Industry Meeting- November 2025

Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition Headquarters

Dupont Circle Holiday Sip and Shop
Thu, 13 Nov at 05:00 pm Dupont Circle Holiday Sip and Shop

Dupont Circle

Rooted to Rise: Evening Retreat & Celebration
Thu, 13 Nov at 06:00 pm Rooted to Rise: Evening Retreat & Celebration

Friends Meeting of Washington

QUEEN MOTHER | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Thu, 13 Nov at 06:00 pm QUEEN MOTHER | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

Busboys and Poets 14th & V

Malik Elassal
Thu, 13 Nov at 07:00 pm Malik Elassal

The Comedy Loft of DC

Warren Zeiders
Thu, 13 Nov Warren Zeiders

The Anthem - D.C.

Washington National Opera: The Marriage of Figaro
Thu, 13 Nov at 07:00 pm Washington National Opera: The Marriage of Figaro

Kennedy Center Opera House

Boz Scaggs at Warner Theatre - Washington DC
Thu, 13 Nov at 07:00 pm Boz Scaggs at Warner Theatre - Washington DC

Warner Theatre - Washington DC

Washington is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Washington Events