The Shah, Saddam Hussein, and Houari Boumediene Meet for the Algiers Agreement (1975)

Algeria had with the Algiers Agreement of 1975 prevented war from breaking out between Iraq and Iran. Border disputes and Kurdish conflict had brought the two nations on a collision course. President Houri Boumediene wanted to prevent such a conflict, because he realized it would further fracture of the Arab world and the African continent […]

Manuel Noriega Meets George Bush (1983)

This photograph shows then Vice President George Herbert Walker Bush meeting with Panama’s strongman Manuel Noriega in 1983. The Reagan White House was embarking on a policy of aggressive anti-communism and this meant attacking Latin American governments that were either leftist or aligned with the Soviet Union. When Castro came to power in Cuba the […]

Aung San Suu Kyi Addresses a Political Rally (1990)

This photograph shows a young Aung San Suu Kyi giving a speech at a political rally during the 1990 Burmese elections. The National League of Democracy was the victor in the elections, but the military nullified the result.She was not running for office, but trying to get the party to win as many seats in […]

Julius Nyerere Meets Mao Zedong

This photograph was taken in 1965 when President Julius Nyerere paid a state visit to the People’s Republic of China. The two nations shared cordial diplomatic relations, even though both nations had different ideological stances on socialism. Mao’s aid to Tanzania was generous. There was a reason that such a relationship could work. The newly […]

Ronald Reagan Meets With Mujahideen Fighters

The United States embarked on a policy of arming the Mujahideen. The Soviet Union became militarily involved in Afghanistan to support a weakened communist government. Ronald Reagan here is shown with what he called “freedom fighters.” America’s involvement in Afghanistan was the largest covert operation in the CIA’s entire history. Ronald Reagan was a staunch […]

Nasser Meets Qaddafi

Muammar Qaddafi was a pan-Arabist and pan-Africanist revolutionary who took power in a bloodless coup in 1969. His ideology was influenced by the thought of Gamal Abdel Nasser. The photograph shows Qaddafi and Nasser meeting for the first time after the Ai-fatitha Revolution. Qaddafi wanted unity among all Arabs, like Nasser. At first when news […]

Hiroshi Oshima Meets Hitler

Hiroshi Oshima served as ambassador to Nazi Germany for the Japanese Empire. This picture shows Oshima meeting Hitler at his headquarters in East Prussia. The Japanese Empire would attack the United States and Nazi Germany as well as Italy declared war. This move seemed strange on the part of Nazi Germany. It had no obligation […]

The World History Archive and Compendium

Photography