Guardians of the revolution: Iran and the world in the age of the Ayatollahs

An authoritative history of Iran and the world since the 1979 revolution, exploring the nuances beneath the turmoil and calling for America to creatively engage with its controversial nemesis. For over a quarter century, Iran has been one of America's chief nemeses. Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah in 1979, the relationship between the two nations has been antagonistic: revolutionary guards chanting against the Great Satan, Bush fulminating against the Axis of Evil, Iranian support for Hezbollah, and President Ahmadinejad blaming the U.S. for the world's ills. Takeyh shows that three powerful forces--Islamism, pragmatism, and great power pretensions--have competed in each of four periods, and that Iran's often paradoxical policies are in reality a series of compromises between the hardliners and the moderates, often with wild oscillations between pragmatism and ideological dogmatism. The U.S.'s task, Takeyh argues, is to find strategies that address Iran's objectionable behaviour without demonizing this key player in an increasingly vital and volatile region.With its clear-sighted grasp of both nuance and historical sweep, Guardians of the Revolution will stand as the standard work on this controversial--and central--actor in world politics for years to come

• ISBN: 978-0-19-532784-7
• Editorial: Oxford University
• Encuadernacion: Cartoné
• Páginas: 320
• Fecha Publicación: 01/09/2009
• Nº Volúmenes: 1
• Idioma: Inglés