The United States started a war by bombing Iran and assassinating its leadership. It has relentlessly destroyed military, missile and naval assets. No war was officially declared—no authorization was given by Congress. Nor was there discussion with the American people before sending their sons and daughters into harm's way.

This talk by Dr. Michael Baker will look at the geography and history of Iran, then the deterioration of relations between the United States and Iran, starting with the CIA actions of the 1954 coup that put the Shah in power.

Dr. Baker will ask some questions about reasons for the United States (and Israel) to initiate this war, and speculate about the real reasons for this attack, and he will put a spotlight on "who wins, who loses" ... and who profits the most.

About the Speaker

Dr. Michael Baker recently retired from a 40-year career in general, vascular and trauma surgery. He also served 30 years in the uniform of his country and retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of rear admiral, having earned numerous awards, including a Combat Action Ribbon and 3 Legion of Merit Awards. He has been a staff planner for Naval Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) covering the Mideast, was deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps to combat duty in Desert Storm, and has had numerous assignments in CENTCOM, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. He currently teaches history, political science, and military affairs for the Osher LifeLong Learning (OLLI) Programs at UC Berkeley, Dominican University, Cal State University East Bay, Cal State University Channel Islands, and is on the Board of Governors of Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. He teaches Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) to physicians in the United States, at military bases around the world, and most recently returned from his 5th tour in Ukraine teaching ATLS to physicians in that war-torn nation.