Answering Only to God by
Two seasoned scholar/journalists of the Islamic world focus on Iran-the modern age's first theocracy-to challenge the prevailing Western belief that the Islamic world is an undifferentiated mass of disaffected and dangerous fanatics. Instead, Geneive Abdo and Jonathan Lyons explore the controversial view that Iranians have a legitimate quarrel with the United States and the West stemming from decades of exploitive foreign policies against Iran and its people.
Taking the reader inside the country's key institutions, the authors, whose research includes an astounding three years of intensive meetings with leading theologians, argue that the 1979 Iranian revolution, long viewed in the West as the pursuit of an imagined medieval Utopia, was, in fact, a political movement designed to modernize Islam. A power struggle between conservative and reform elements has provoked a clash that is destabilizing the country and limiting Iran's ability to integrate with the world community. Since 2000, when the authors were forced to flee Iran, free expression has been stifled and the democratically elected president, Mohammad Khatami, has been stripped of power, as have other mullahs who advocate flexibility in the application of Islamic law. The uninformed U.S. response to this struggle has strengthened the hand of the conservatives. The authors demonstrate Iran's critical influence on the world's 1.4 billion Muslims and Islamists and its chances for democracy in the years ahead.
Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister by
Minoo Moallem challenges the mainstream stereotypical representation of Islam and Muslims as backward, fanatical, and premodern by showing how Islamic nationalism and fundamentalism are by-products of modernity. Writing with a deep personal and scholarly concern for recent Iranian history, Moallem refers to the gendered notions of brother and sister as keys to understanding the invention of the Islamic ummat as a modern fraternal community. Using magazines, novels, and films, she offers a feminist transnational analysis of contemporary Iranian culture that questions dominant binaries of modern and traditional, West and East, secular and religious, and civilized and barbaric. Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister responds to a number of important questions raised in connection with 9/11. The author considers how veiling intersects with other identity markers in nation-state building and modern formations of gendered citizenship. She shows how Islamic nationalism and fundamentalism are fed by a hybrid blend of images and myths of both pre-Islamic and Islamic Iran, as well as globally circulated patriarchal ideologies.
A History of Modern Iran by
In a reappraisal of Iran's modern history, Ervand Abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the Pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the Islamic Republic. In the intervening years, the country has experienced a bitter war with Iraq, the transformation of society under the clergy and, more recently, the expansion of the state and the struggle for power between the old elites, the intelligentsia and the commercial middle class. The author is a compassionate expositor. While he adroitly negotiates the twists and turns of the country's regional and international politics, at the heart of his book are the people of Iran. It is to them and their resilience that this book is dedicated, as Iran emerges at the beginning of the twenty-first century as one of the most powerful states in the Middle East.
Inside Iran by
Written by former BBC correspondent Jane Howard, whose experience took her beyond the headlines and horror stories and into the lives of everyday Iranian women, this book presents the story of struggle and change, documenting what it means to be a woman in Iran.
Iran by
Historical setting / Shaul Bakhash -- The society and its environment / Eric Hooglund -- The economy / Hossein Akhavi-Pour -- Government and politics / Mark Gasiorowski -- National security / Jalil Roshandel.
Iran's Diverse Peoples by
Spanning a 5,000-year period, this is the first work to document the origins, evolution, and current status of all major ethnic groups in Iran.
Persepolis - the Archaeology of Persa, Seat of the Persian Kings by
Parsa (to its Aryan builders) or Persepolis (to contemporary Greeks) was the national and spiritual sanctuary of the Achaemenid empire that stretched from Greece into India. Nine major structures were spread over an extensive levelled stone platform. Work was undertaken by Darius I about 515BC and carried forward by his son Xerxes I. Burned by Alexander the Great in 330BC, the masses of flaming debris melted the brick walls of the structures and, along with the wind-blown sand, actually preserved the stone columns, gates, and bas-reliefs from desecration during the ensuing centuries. Archaeological excavations have been carried on for many years and have uncovered royal treasures and some 30,000 cuneiform tablets in three ancient languages. The reliefs display 3,000 human figures, including the ruler as hero-king worshipped by his people and by delegates from the twenty-four lands of the empire bearing their distinctive tributes. Parsa still remains one of the marvels of the ancient world. Aside from the scarce and unwieldy reports of the excavations, this lavishly illustrated volume is the only comprehensive account of the site and its history. And Dr Wilber solves the great mystery of the site: Standing in majesty for many centuries, why is there no evidence of human occupation?
Persians by
Readers assume the role of archaeologists, uncovering secrets of ancient civilizations. Stunning photographs and illustrations, plus detailed cutaways, maps and diagrams.
Iran by
Is Iran a threat to the United States and its allies? A nuclear Iran is a threat to the United States and its allies / Mortimer Zuckerman ; A nuclear Iran is not a threat to the United States and its allies / Michael C. Desch ; Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism / Matthew A. Levitt ; Iran will not provide terrorists with weapons of mass destruction / Daniel Byman ; Iran is a threat to Israel's existence / Michael Rubin ; Iran is not a threat to Israel's existence / Jeremiah Haber -- How should U.S. foreign policy address Iran? Diplomacy would minimize the Iranian nuclear threat / Andrew Parasiliti ; Diplomacy has not and will not minimize the Iranian nuclear threat / Elan Journo (part I), Herbert I. London (part II) ; The United States should impose harsher sanctions on Iran / James Phillips ; The United States should not impose harsher sanctions on Iran / Djavad Salehi-Isfahani ; The United States should support an Iranian regime change / John R. Bolton ; The United States should not support an Iranian regime change / Ted Galen Carpenter and Jessica Ashooh -- What was the impact of the 2009 Iranian presidential election? The 2009 Iranian election solidified the opposition movement / Hooman Majd ; The opposition movement in Iran is not unified / Mehdi Khalaji ; The Iranian government is facing a crisis of legitimacy / Ramin Jahanbegloo ; The Iranian government is stable but faces internal division / George Friedman ; The U.S. government should support popular opposition to the Iranian election / James Phillips : The U.S. government should not become involved in the Iranian election / Justin Raimondo -- What are the current problems in Iran? The Iranian government is crippling Iran's economy / Patrick Clawson ; International sanctions are crippling Iran's economy / William R. Hawkins ; The Iranian government has impeded the advancement of women's rights / International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran ; U.S. imperialism has impeded the advancement of women's rights in Iran / Simin Royanian.
Iran by
Why consider opposing viewpoints? -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Is Iran a threat to global security? 1. Iran is a nuclear threat / Douglas Davis; 2. Iran is not a nuclear threat / Edward S. Herman; 3. Iran is a threat to Israel / Martin Indyk; 4. Iran is not a threat to Israel / Ehsaneh I. Sadr; 5. Iranian anti-Americanism threatens the United States / A. William Samii -- Chapter 2. What is the state of human rights in Iran? 1. Iran violates human rights / Amnesty International; 2. Iran does not violate human rights / Paimaneh Hastaei; 3. Women's rights are improving in Iran / Shirin Ebadi, interviewed by Jacqueline M. Massey; 4. Women's rights are not improving in Iran / Parvan Darabi; 5. Censorship is commonplace in Iran / Farouz Farzami; 6. Iran brutalizes homosexuals / Doug Ireland -- Chapter 3. How should the United States respond to Iran? 1. The United States must use military strikes to end Iran's nuclear weapons program / Jed Babbin; 2. The United States should not use military strikes to end Iran's nuclear weapons program / Paul Rogers; 3. The United States must work with Europe to control Iran / Alan L. Isenberg; 4. The United States should not follow Europe's lead on Iran / The Wall Street Journal; 5. The United States should encourage political reform in Iran / Michael McFaul and Abbas Milani; 6. The United States must not become involved in Iranian political reform / Geneive Abdo -- Chapter 4. What is the future of Iran? 1. Iranian political reform is likely / Jahangir Amuzegar; 2. Iranian political reform is faltering / Daniel Tsadik, et al.; 3. Iranian youths will work for reform / Golnar Motevalli; 4. Iranian youths will not soon work for reform / Azadeh Moaveni; 5. Iranians must take responsibility for their future / Reza Pahlavi; 6. Iran faces a perilous economic future / Vahid Isabeigi.
Iran by
Ch. 1. Is Iran's nuclear program peaceful? -- Yes: Iran's nuclear program is peaceful -- Iran needs nuclear power for peaceful purposes / Habib Siddiqui -- Iran is not capable of making nuclear weapons in the near future / Muhammad Sahimi -- Iran's nuclear weapons program is a myth / Patrick Buchanan -- No: Iran's nuclear program is not peaceful -- The international atomic energy agency is suspicious of Iran's nuclear activities / Peter Crail -- Iran may be keeping open the option to produce nuclear weapons / Paul K. Kerr -- Iran has recently taken another step toward producing nuclear weapons / Howard LaFranchi -- Intelligence information strongly suggests that Iran's nuclear motives are not peaceful / Dieter Bednarz, Erich Follath, and Holger Stark -- Ch. 2. Does Iran want to dominate Iraq? -- Overview: Iran's interests and role in Iraq / Edmund Blair -- Yes: Iran wants to dominate Iraq -- Iran has a robust plan to exert influence in Iraq / Joseph Felter and Brain Fishman -- Iran wants to spread its influence in Iraq / Kimberly Kagan and Fredrick W. Kagan -- Many Iraqis object to Iran's detrimental actions in Iraq / Mohammed al-Qaisi -- No: Iraq does not want to dominate Iraq -- Iraq is unlikely to be controlled by Iran / Max Singer -- Iran lost in the 2010 Iraqi elections / Trenton Daniel and Leila Fadel -- Iraq's future is unclear / Sarah Price and Nizar Latif -- Ch. 3. Will the Iranian green revolution succeed? -- The green movement is growing / Iason Athanasiadis and Barbara Slavin -- The green movement could fail for lack of leadership and organization / Tara Mahtafar -- / The leader of the green movement are seeking compromise, not victory / Keith Jones -- The green movement is a viable civil rights movement / Hooman Majd -- Iran is turning into a military dictatorship / Michael Petrou -- The green movement is a revolution that will ultimately succeed / Amir Fakhravar -- Ch. 4. What approach should the United States take toward Iran? -- The United States must seek tougher sanctions against Iran / Morton M. Kondracke -- Sanctions on Iran will only hurt ordinary Iranians / Muhammad Sahimi -- A military strike against Iran is a feasible and credible option / Chuck Wald -- More creative, flexible negotiations are necessary to reach agreement with Iran / Center for Strategic & International Studies -- The United States must increase support for Iran's green movement / Iran Policy Committee -- The United States should recognize Iran as a peaceful nuclear power / Kayhan Barzegar -- The United States must redefine the Iran problem / George Friedman.
The Iranian Green Movement by
Ch. 1. What is the nature of Iran's green movement? The Iranian green movement is a protest against government corruption / Austin Bay -- The Iranian green movement is revolutionary / Mahmood Delkhasteh, interviewed by Behdad Bordbar -- The Iranian green movement is not revolutionary / Arshin Adib-Moghaddam -- The Iranian green movement is a civil rights movement / Hooman Majd -- The Iranian green movement is a Twitter revolution / Jared Keller -- Ch. 2. Has Iran's green movement been destroyed? The Iranian green movement has been stifled temporarily / Hossein Aryan -- The idea of an Iranian revolution was always unrealistic / Fareed Zakaria -- Iran's green movement is not dead / Michael Singh -- The Iranian green movement is alive / James Miller -- Iranian green movement supporters will not quit / Omid Memarian and Roja Heydarpour -- Ch. 3. Is Iran's green movement related to uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt? Iran's green movement inspired protests in Tunisia and Egypt / Barbara Slavin -- The protests in Tunisia and Egypt are victories for Iran's green movement / Hamid Dabashi -- Egypt's political unrest offers lessons for Iran's green movement / Muhammad Sahimi -- The situation in Iran differs from that in Tunisia / Steven Heydemann -- The Arab revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt transcend the shortcomings of Iran's Islamic revolution / Roxane Farmanfarmaian -- Ch. 4. What is the future of reform in Iran? Iranians remain hopeful of eventual reform / Jane Bao -- Iran's green movement needs better organization and strategy / Karim Sadjadpour -- The Iranian green movement faces numerous foes / Azadeh Moaveni -- Other Middle East revolutions may energize the Iranian green movement / Scott Peterson -- Iran's green movement will not rise up after protests in Tunisia and Egypt / Hooman Majd -- Iran's leaders are unlikely to allow any opening for protest / Daniel Brumberg -- The Iranian green movement must operate on its own timetable / Mohsen Milani, interviewed by World Blog -- The United States must stop obstructing Iran's pro-democracy movement / Chris Hedges.
Is Iran a Threat to Global Security? by
Iran has instigated a new Cold War / Thomas Friedman -- American double standards provoke Iran's antagonism / Stephen Zunes -- Iran is behind conflict in the Middle East / Michel Ledeen -- Diplomacy is crucial to defuse the Iran problem / Suzanne Maloney and Ray Takeyh -- Sanctions and diplomacy are the answers to Iran's nuclear threat / Andrew Grotto -- The outcome of more diplomatic talks with Iran is uncertain / Jan De Pauw -- Delaying a decisive response to an Iranian threat might prove fatal / John Bolton -- Hyping the nuclear threat from Iran might cause war in the Middle East / Gregory Levey -- America must be prepared for a possible strike against Iran / Patrick Clawson -- A military conflict with Iran can be avoided / William Luers, Thomas Pickering, and Jim Walsh -- America must bomb Iran to answer its nuclear and terrorist threat / Norman Podhoretz -- Military action cannot solve the problems with Iran / Barbara Slavin -- A military response to Iran's nuclear and terrorist threat is justified / Sean Rayment -- Israel might have to face the Iranian threat alone / Calev Ben-David.
Is Iran a Threat to Global Security? by
Iran is a major threat to global security / Michael A. Ledeen -- Iran is not a major threat to global security / Ray Takeyh -- Iran's nuclear program is a serious threat to Israel / Charles Krauthammer -- Iran's nuclear program is not a threat to Israel / Carl Coon -- Israel is a threat to the Islamic world / Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- Iran is interfering with efforts to build a stable Iraq / Peter Brookes -- Iran's interventions in Iraq have been more helpful than harmful / Kenneth M. Pollack -- Diplomacy is the best option for American-Iranian relations / Stephen Kinzer -- Diplomacy is not an effective option for dealing with Iran / Reuel Marc Gerecht -- Military force is the best option for dealing with Iran / Thomas Holsinger -- Covert action could be used to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat / Terrence Henry -- Encouraging an internal revolution is a viable option for dealing with Iran / Ilan Berman.
Nuclear Proliferation by
Foreword / Henry A. Kissinger -- Global challenges of nuclear proliferation / Graham Allison -- Iran case study: is there a "plan B" for Iran? / Hervé de Carmoy -- Iran case study: time is running out / Thérèse Delpech -- East Asia and weapons of mass destruction in North Korea : strategic drivers, future paths, and nonproliferation dynamics / Chung Min Lee -- Comment: The challenge of deterring nuclear proliferation / Pierre Goldschmidt.
Why Intelligence Fails by
The U.S. government spends enormous resources each year on the gathering and analysis of intelligence, yet the history of American foreign policy is littered with missteps and misunderstandings that have resulted from intelligence failures. In Why Intelligence Fails , Robert Jervis examines the politics and psychology of two of the more spectacular intelligence failures in recent memory: the mistaken belief that the regime of the Shah in Iran was secure and stable in 1978, and the claim that Iraq had active WMD programs in 2002.
The Iran case is based on a recently declassified report Jervis was commissioned to undertake by CIA thirty years ago and includes memoranda written by CIA officials in response to Jervis's findings. The Iraq case, also grounded in a review of the intelligence community's performance, is based on close readings of both classified and declassified documents, though Jervis's conclusions are entirely supported by evidence that has been declassified. In both cases, Jervis finds not only that intelligence was badly flawed but also that later explanations--analysts were bowing to political pressure and telling the White House what it wanted to hear or were willfully blind--were also incorrect. Proponents of these explanations claimed that initial errors were compounded by groupthink, lack of coordination within the government, and failure to share information. Policy prescriptions, including the recent establishment of a Director of National Intelligence, were supposed to remedy the situation.
In Jervis's estimation, neither the explanations nor the prescriptions are adequate. The inferences that intelligence drew were actually quite plausible given the information available. Errors arose, he concludes, from insufficient attention to the ways in which information should be gathered and interpreted, a lack of self-awareness about the factors that led to the judgments, and an organizational culture that failed to probe for weaknesses and explore alternatives. Evaluating the inherent tensions between the methods and aims of intelligence personnel and policymakers from a unique insider's perspective, Jervis forcefully criticizes recent proposals for improving the performance of the intelligence community and discusses ways in which future analysis can be improved.
Khomeini's Ghost by
Con Coughlin, the New York Times bestselling author of Saddam, returns with Khomeini's Ghost, the definitive biography of Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic revolution. More than thirty years after Khomeini's return to Tehran and the subsequent rebirth of Iran as an Islamic Republic, Khomeini's Ghost offers an intimate, richly detailed portrait of the fundamentalist leader and architect of Iran's adversarial relationship with the West--a man whose legacy has influenced history and policy, and will continue to do so for generations to come.
Lipstick Jihad by
As far back as she can remember, Azadeh Moaveni has felt at odds with her tangled identity as an Iranian-American. In suburban America, Azadeh lived in two worlds. At home, she was the daughter of the Iranian exile community, serving tea, clinging to tradition, and dreaming of Tehran. Outside, she was a California girl who practiced yoga and listened to Madonna. For years, she ignored the tense standoff between her two cultures. But college magnified the clash between Iran and America, and after graduating, she moved to Iran as a journalist. This is the story of her search for identity, between two cultures cleaved apart by a violent history. It is also the story of Iran, a restive land lost in the twilight of its revolution. Moaveni's homecoming falls in the heady days of the country's reform movement, when young people demonstrated in the streets and shouted for the Islamic regime to end. In these tumultuous times, she struggles to build a life in a dark country, wholly unlike the luminous, saffron and turquoise-tinted Iran of her imagination. As she leads us through the drug-soaked, underground parties of Tehran, into the hedonistic lives of young people desperate for change, Moaveni paints a rare portrait of Iran's rebellious next generation. The landscape of her Tehran ski slopes, fashion shows, malls and cafes is populated by a cast of young people whose exuberance and despair brings the modern reality of Iran to vivid life.
The Iran Hostage Crisis: 444 days to freedom by
Through interviews with hostages and other involved, this video relives the trials of captivity and the euphoria of release of the staff of U.S. Embassy in Tehran during the 1979 Iran-American crisis.
