About this product: For many Americans, Iran is our most dangerous enemy--part of George W. Bush's "axis of evil" even before the appearance of Ahmadinejad. But what is the reality? How did Ahmadinejad rise to power, and how much power does he really have? What are the chances of normalizing relations with Iran? In After Khomeini, Said Amir Arjomand paints a subtle and perceptive portrait of contemporary Iran. This work, a sequel to Arjomand's acclaimed The Turban for the Crown, examines Iran under the successors of Ayatollah Khomeini up to the present day. He begins, as the Islamic Republic did, with Khomeini, offering a brilliant capsule biography of the man who masterminded the revolution that overthrew the Shah. Arjomand draws clear distinctions between the moderates of the initial phrase of the revolution, radicals, pragmatists, and hardliners, the latter best exemplified by Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Taking a chronological and thematic approach, he traces the emergence and consolidation of the present system of collective rule by clerical councils and the peaceful transition to dual leadership by the ayatollah as the supreme guide and the subordinate president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He explains the internal political quarrels among Khomeini's heirs as a struggle over his revolutionary legacy. And he outlines how the ruling clerical elite and the nation's security forces are interdependent politically and economically, speculating on the potential future role of the Revolutionary Guards. Bringing the work up to current political events, Arjomand analyzes Iran's foreign policy as well, including the impact of the fall of Communism on Iran and Ahmadinejad's nuclear policy. Few countries loom larger in American foreign relations than Iran. In this rich and insightful account, an expert on Iranian society and politics untangles the complexities of a nation still riding the turbulent wake of one of history's great revolutions.
About this product: During Dr. Mike Evans research for this book in Israel in late 2009, he was told by a high-level Israeli government official that should Iran achieve its nuclear ambitions, it would then have a nuclear umbrella which would allow it to accelerate terrorism throughout the Sunni Gulf oil states in an attempt to fulfill its vision of a world caliphate. An ensuing multi-trillion dollar nuclear arms race between the Sunni and Shia states in the region would drive the price of oil to never-before-seen levels for decades to come. The estimate given him was that oil prices could go as high as $200 per barrel. This would further decimate the world economy. With the ascension of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the position of power in Iran, much has been said about the Mahdi. Al-Mahdi was the Twelfth Imam in the line of Ali, who disappeared down a well at the age of five. Refusing to believe that he was dead, his followers imbued him with timelessness. They declared him to be merely hidden, or in a state of occultation, and declared that on some future date he would suddenly reappear to reestablish an Islamic caliphate worldwide. The Twelver's eschatology, however, proved problematic; it espoused an apocalyptic upheaval in order for the Mahdi, or Hidden Imam, to ascend to his rightful place of leadership. These Twelvers championed the tenet that every individual, regardless of his religious belief, would one day bow to Islam or die. In Ahmadinejad's mind, an atomic bomb in Tel Aviv would usher in the Mahdi, and all the world's demise (Jews and Christians) would instantly be converted to Islam. Compared to Ahmadinejad and his Twlever band, al-Qaeda resembles Boy Scouts ushering little old ladies across busy streets. What does the world really think of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Twelver beliefs? Are most people aware of his devotion to the Mahdi? Do most understand that he is an ardent Twelver, a dedicated disciple of the Twelfth Imam, who will do anything to insure that the world is made ready for the second coming of a false messiah even if it requires manufacturing his own apocalyptic event to insure a rush to Armageddon? When Dr. Evans met Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's spiritual advisor in New York City for a UN meeting in 2007, he declared that his leader would usher in the Mahdi the twelfth descendant of Mohammad through such an apocalyptic event within three years. President Obama seems incapable of fully accepting his culpability should he pursue talks with Iran's bloody regime. He was given a legitimate chance to support change for the good of the Iranian populace following the June, 2009 Iranian election. He had an opportunity to respond vigorously, yet he failed to do so in a timely manner. America's forty-fourth president has all but acquiesced to Iran's nuclear course. Even during the election process Mr. Obama signified that he was agreeable to a meeting with the regime: I would [talk to Iran's leaders without preconditions]. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this [Bush] administration -- is ridiculous. The Iranians saw this as weakness on the part of the American presidential candidate. Since taking office, Mr. Obama has done nothing to counter that opinion. Ahmadinejad has declared the issue closed, not worthy of talks with the leader of The Great Satan. He has rebuffed the advances of a man who apparently wants to dance with Iran. Ahmadinejad feels he is in the driver's seat, and unless a backbone transplant is in the offing, Mr. Obama will likely acquiesce to whatever terms Ahmadinejad demands prior to any face-to-face talks with the American president. The countdown to Armageddon has begun.
“Savvy and accessible . . . A shrewd, timely guide to Iran’s schisms, interests and ambitions.”—The Washington Post Book World
In Hidden Iran, leading Middle East expert Ray Takeyh demystifies the Iranian regime and shows how this pivotal country’s internal conflicts have produced its belligerent international posture, especially toward the United States. With President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pushing the development of a nuclear program, making a play for regional preeminence, and stirring up anti-Israel sentiment, the consequences of not understanding Iran have never been higher. Takeyh explains why this country continues to confound American expectations and offers a new paradigm for managing our relations with this rising power—at a time when getting Iran right has become increasingly urgent for America.
About this product: "Immortal" is the only single-volume English-language survey of Iran's military history. CIA analyst Steven R. Ward shows that Iran's soldiers, from the famed Immortals of ancient Persia to today's Revolutionary Guard, have demonstrated through the centuries that they should not be underestimated. This history also provides background on the nationalist, tribal, and religious heritages of the country to help readers better understand Iran and its security outlook."Immortal" begins with the founding of ancient Persia's empire under Cyrus the Great and continues through the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and up to the present. Drawing on a wide range of sources including declassified documents, the author gives primary focus to the modern era to relate the build-up of the military under the last Shah, its collapse during the Islamic revolution, its fortunes in the Iran-Iraq War, and its rise from the ashes to help Iran become once again a major regional military power. He shows that, despite command and supply problems, Iranian soldiers demonstrate high levels of bravery and perseverance and have enjoyed surprising tactical successes even when victory has been elusive. These qualities and the Iranians' ability to impose high costs on their enemies by exploiting Iran's imposing geography bear careful consideration today by potential opponents.
“Ardalan’s testimony to the feminist spirit of the pioneering women in her family, and in the face of centuries-long strictures against the advancement of women, is a supreme achievement.”—Publishers Weekly Drawing on her remarkable personal history, Davar Ardalan brings us the lives of three generations of women and their ordeals with love, rejection, and revolution. Ardalan’s Iranian American parents, who barely spoke Farsi, moved from San Francisco to rural Iran in 1964. After her parents’ divorce, Ardalan briefly joined her father in Brookline, Massachusetts, then, however improbably, decided to move back to an Islamic Iran. When she arrived, she discovered a world she hardly recognized, and one which demanded a near-complete renunciation of the freedoms she experienced in the West. In time, she and her young family make the opposite migration and discover the difficulties, however paradoxical, inherent in living a free life in America.
The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 launched Iran as a pioneer in a broad-based movement to establish democratic rule in the non-Western world. In a book that provides essential context for understanding modern Iran, Fakhreddin Azimi traces a century of struggle for the establishment of representative government.
The promise of constitutional rule was cut short in the 1920s with the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty. Reza Shah, whose despotic rule Azimi deftly captures, maintained the façade of a constitutional monarch but greeted any challenge with an iron fist: “I will eliminate you,” he routinely barked at his officials. In 1941, fearful of losing control of the oil-rich region, the Allies forced Reza Shah to abdicate but allowed Mohammad Reza to succeed his father. Though promising to abide by the constitution, the new Shah missed no opportunity to undermine it.
The Anglo-American–backed coup of 1953, which ousted reformist premier Mohammed Mosaddeq, dealt a blow to the constitutionalists. The Shah’s repressive policies and subservience to the United States radicalized both secular and religious opponents, leading to the revolution of 1979. Azimi argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood this event by characterizing it as an “Islamic” revolution when it was in reality the expression of a long-repressed desire for popular sovereignty. This explains why the clerical rulers have failed to counter the growing public conviction that the Islamic Republic, too, is impervious to political reform—and why the democratic impulse that began with the Constitutional Revolution continues to be a potent and resilient force.
About this product: Iran is a key player in some of the most crucial issues of our time. But because of its relative diplomatic isolation and the partisan nature of conflicting accounts voiced by different interest groups both inside and outside the country, there is a shortage of hard information about the scale and depth of social change in today's Iran. In this volume, and imposing roster of both internationally renowned Iranian scholars and rising young Iranian academics offer contributions--many based on recent fieldwork--on the nature and evolution of Iran's economy, significant aspects of Iran's changing society, and the dynamics of its domestic and international politics since the 1979 revolution, focusing particularly on the post-Khomeini period. The book will be of great interest not only to Iran specialists, but also to scholars of comparative politics, democratization, social change, politics in the Muslim world, and Middle Eastern studies.
About this product: A Los Angeles Times and Economist Best Book of the Year
With a New Preface
The grandson of an eminent ayatollah and the son of an Iranian diplomat, journalist Hooman Majd is uniquely qualified to explain contemporary Iran's complex and misunderstood culture to Western readers.
The Ayatollah Begs to Differ provides an intimate look at a paradoxical country that is both deeply religious and highly cosmopolitan, authoritarian yet informed by a history of democratic and reformist traditions. Majd offers an insightful tour of Iranian culture, introducing fascinating characters from all walks of life, including zealous government officials, tough female cab drivers, and open-minded, reformist ayatollahs. It's an Iran that will surprise readers and challenge Western stereotypes.
In his new preface, Majd discusses the Iranian mood during and after the June 2009 presidential election which set off the largest street protests since the revolution that brought the ayatollahs to power.
About this product: The Islamic Republic of Iran is at the center of world attention politically, socially, and culturally but it remains largely a cipher to the West. Award-winning photographer Mark Edward Harris has traveled throughout Iran to produce the first contemporary photographic book on a place seldom seen or understood. His images of daily life offer a fascinating look at a society of juxtapositions ancient and modern, commercial and spiritual, serene and intense, political and personal. With chapter introductions and extended captions providing context for the images, Inside Iran is a crucial look at a country whose future is likely to influence our own.
In the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, Scott Ritter's Iraq Confidential was embraced by the antiwar movement in America. His claims that Iraq had been effectively disarmed were ignored by both the Bush administration and the mainstream media. In the wake of the debacle, Ritter has been vindicated. Now Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector, has set his sights on the White House's hyping of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program. In Target Iran he once again sets the record straight. Target Iran is Ritter's "national intelligence assessment" of the Iranian imbroglio. Ritter examines the Bush administration's regime-change policy and the potential of Iran to threaten U.S. national security interests. He also considers how the country is seen by other interested parties, including the United Kingdom (Tony Blair may once again be called upon by Bush to provide an international "cover" in any confrontation), Israel (the Israelis view Iran as their number one threat today), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (responsible for inspecting the alleged nuclear program).
BOOK
