Turbulent Iran


Book Description




Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Iran


Book Description

The Complete Idiot's GuideR to Understanding Iran , explores the country's origins, from its long and turbulent beginnings as ancient Persia and its transformation into modern Iran. The author covers the rise of the Ayatollahs and Islamic fundamentalism; the 1979 revolution and the subsequent hostage crisis; the Iran-Iraq war; the Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan administration; Iran's sponsorship of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas; and how evidence of Iran's nuclear weapons program affects its relationship with the world in general - both now and in the years to come. With a younger generation now chafing under the hard-line mullahs' social repression, the situation grows more volatile each day. The Complete Idiot's GuideR to Understanding Iran will be a detailed, comprehensive, and unbiased overview of this complex but often fascinating land.







The New Iranian Leadership


Book Description

Since his election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has reversed the more moderate and pluralistic policies of his predecessor and projected himself onto the public scene with headline-grabbing speeches regarding Jews and the state of Israel, open defiance of the UN Security Council on the nuclear issue, and an apparent vision of his country becoming the dominant power in the Middle East. This book documents Ahmadenijad's background and rise to power. It explains the current structure of the Iranian revolutionary government—the competing centers of power and the major players. In separate sections, it details the terrorist groups funded and armed by Iran, primarily Hezbollah and Hamas. And it provides a comprehensive picture of Iran's apparent aspirations to acquire nuclear weapons, as well as the related implications for regional and global security concerns. Iran's nuclear ambitions are in direct conflict with the wishes of the United States, the European Union, and many of the governments of the Middle East, leading to consequences that remain uncertain. Iran is a focus of attention in the most recent war in Lebanon, expanding its influence as a (the?) major supporter and supplier of Hezbollah. And Iran is cited in the most recent annual U.S. State Department report on terrorism as the country that is the most active sponsor of terrorism.




Iran and the International Community (RLE Iran D)


Book Description

In this book experts examine the main features of Iran’s foreign policy from 1980 – 1990, assessing relations with the UN, the superpowers, Europe, the GCC and Iraq. Although the Islamic revolution made Iran a significant force in the international arena, it is argued that the ending of the Cold War and the rise of Iraq as the dominant power in the Gulf are now creating a very different set of foreign policy challenges and options.




Transnationalism in Iranian Political Thought


Book Description

During the Iranian Revolution of 1978/9, the influence of public intellectuals was widespread. Many espoused a vision of Iran freed from the influences of 'Westtoxification', inspired by Heideggerian concepts of anti-Western nativism. By following the intellectual journey of the Iranian philosopher Ahmad Fardid, Ali Mirsepassi offers in this book an account of the rise of political Islam in modern Iran. Through his controversial persona and numerous public and private appearances before, during and particularly after the Revolution, Fardid popularised an Islamist vision militantly hostile to the modern world that remains a fundamental part of the political philosophy of the Islamic Republic to this day. By also bringing elements of Fardid's post-revolutionary thought, as well as a critical analysis of Foucault's writings on 'the politics of spirituality', Mirsepassi offers an essential read for all those studying the evolution of political thought and philosophy in modern Iran and beyond.




The End of Two Illusions


Book Description

Dabashi demonstrates how "the West" was an ideological commodity and civilizational mantra invented during the European Enlightenment, serving as an epicenter for the rise of globalized capitalist modernity. In turn, Orientalist ideologues went around the world manufacturing equally illusory abstractions in the form of inferior civilizations in India, China, Africa, Latin America, and the Islamic world. The result was the projection of "Islam and the West" as the prototype of a civilizational hostility that has given false explanations and flawed prognoses of our contemporary history, with weaponized Islamophobia on one side and militant Islamism on the other as its most palpable manifestations. Dabashi argues it is long past time to dismantle this dangerous liaison, expose and overcome its perilous delusions, and reimagine the world beyond its shimmering mirage. .




Khatami's Iran


Book Description

To understand contemporary Iran's notoriously complex politics, it is essential to grasp the monumental changes initiated by Mohammad Khatami. The previously little-known cleric stormed to victory in Iran's 1997 presidential elections with nearly 70 per cent of the vote, encouraging Iran's nascent civil society and reform movements to flourish during his eight year tenure as president. Ghoncheh Tazmini's book offers a thought-provoking, astutely close-up yet systematic analysis of Khatami the man and the reform movement that supported him. This book provides a comprehensive and finely detailed introduction to the subtleties of contemporary Iran's complex political culture. At the same time it is an important reference point for a critical period of Iran's post-revolutionary trajectory, especially given the controversial developments in the country after the re-election of President Ahmadinejad in 2009. With new presidential elections looming in 2013, and the importance of Iran once again becoming paramount, this book offers vital analysis for all of those interested in the future of Iranian politics and the reform movement in the country.




Ali Khamenei


Book Description

Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was born into a family of strict piety and moderate poverty. As a serious-minded religious student, he soon caught the eye of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Upon Khomeini's death, Khamenei was named his successor and became the Grand Ayatollah of Iran. This biography tells his story.




Destiny's Game


Book Description

Destiny's Game" started as a will. "I didn't have the life of a typical 15-year old, not only me but a lot of young people," recalls Reza. With no idea what would happen to him next, Reza began documenting the events and circumstances surrounding him. This collection of personal memoirs and travels begins in his native country of Iran and takes readers along on his twenty-five-year journey through Turkey, Eastern Europe and the United States. In "Destiny's Game," Reza uses his unique perspective to talk about his family in Iran and the Iranian social and political situation, including the revolution of 1979 and the start of the Iraq-Iran war in September 1980. "They (the Iranian people) were doing the wrong things for the right reasons. People didn't know what the Islamic republic meant," says Reza. It created dangerous socio-political turbulence that forced thousands of Iranian families to flee the country with their young sons and daughters. "Imagine you're sitting in Jr. High or High School and they (the revolutionary guards, Islamic fundamentalists) come to your class and say, "Who wants to go to heaven?" And, all the kids raise their hands and want the opportunity. It's a quick ticket, a short-cut. All they have to do is walk on an Iraqi mine field," explains Reza. He talks about foreign hypocrisy and, how his views evolved as he witnessed non-Iranian governments' manipulative efforts to exploit socio-political, cultural and economic affairs of Iran. Through this book, Reza hopes to inspire optimism and national unity, and promote fine moral etiquette and improved human rights. According the Reza, these are important fundamental qualities that the Iranian society and mainstream international governing bodies seriously lack.