The history of modern Iran, like that of most of the Middle East, is a very underdeveloped field when compared not only with the history of the West, but even with that of the Far East. When we speak of the United States' scholars, the reasons for this underdevelopment are not far to seek. Far more than scholars would like to admit, scholarship follows the geography of the national interests of the United States' rulers. As long as the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia were colonies or spheres of influence of other powers, American scholars ignored them almost totally. It is only since World War II that Near Eastern, African, and South Asian centers and institutes were set up, usually with the help of foundation, business and government money, and these centers gave the greatest impetus to the studies of the areas under question.