The Iran Primer

Download The Iran Primer PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : US Institute of Peace Press
ISBN 13 : 1601270844
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (12 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Iran Primer by : Robin B. Wright

Download or read book The Iran Primer written by Robin B. Wright and published by US Institute of Peace Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive but concise overview of Iran's politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. The volume chronicles U.S.-Iran relations under six American presidents and probes five options for dealing with Iran. Organized thematically, this book provides top-level briefings by 50 top experts on Iran (both Iranian and Western authors) and is a practical and accessible "go-to" resource for practitioners, policymakers, academics, and students, as well as a fascinating wealth of information for anyone interested in understanding Iran's pivotal role in world politics.

The Strangling of Persia

Download The Strangling of Persia PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 504 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Strangling of Persia by : William Morgan Shuster

Download or read book The Strangling of Persia written by William Morgan Shuster and published by . This book was released on 1912 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Morgan Shuster (1877-1960) was an American lawyer and financial expert who served as treasurer general to the government of the Persian Empire in 1911. In 1910, the Persian government asked U.S. president William Howard Taft for technical assistance in reorganizing its financial system. Taft chose Shuster to head a mission of American experts to Tehran. The Strangling of Persia is Shuster's account of his experiences, published soon after his return to the United States. In the Anglo-Russian convention of August 31, 1907, Britain and Russia had divided Persia (present-day Iran) into a Russian sphere of influence in the north of the empire and a British sphere in the south (with additional arrangements for Afghanistan and Tibet). Each power was to have exclusive commercial rights in its sphere. Under this agreement and other arrangements, Persian customs revenues were collected to guarantee the payment of interest and principal on foreign loans. Seeking to defend the interests of the Persians, Shuster clashed repeatedly with Russian and British officials, until his mission was forced to withdraw in early 1912. The book provides a detailed account of the background to the mission, of political and financial conditions in Persia in the early 20th century, and of the rivalry among Russia, Britain, and eventually Germany for influence in the country. The narrative covers the Russian military intervention of 1911, the atrocities committed by Russian troops, and the coup and dissolution of the Majlis (parliament) carried out under Russian pressure in December 1911. The book includes numerous photographs and a map, an index, and an appendix with copies of key documents and correspondence

Reinventing Khomeini

Download Reinventing Khomeini PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226077581
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (775 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Reinventing Khomeini by : Daniel Brumberg

Download or read book Reinventing Khomeini written by Daniel Brumberg and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2001-04-15 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reinventing Khomeini offers a new interpretation of the political battles that paved the way for reform in Iran. Brumberg argues that these conflicts did not result from a sudden ideological shift; nor did the election of President Mohammad Khatami in 1997 really defy the core principles of the Islamic Revolution. To the contrary, the struggle for a more democratic Iran can be traced to the revolution itself, and to the contradictory agendas of the revolution's founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. A complex figure, Khomeini was a fervent champion of Islam, but while he sought a Shi'ite vision of clerical rule under one Supreme Leader, he also strove to mesh that vision with an implicitly Western view of mass participatory politics. The intense magnetism and charisma of the ayatollah obscured this paradox. But reformers in Iran today, while rejecting his autocratic vision, are reviving the constitutional notions of government that he considered, and even casting themselves as the bearers of his legacy. In Reinventing Khomeini, Brumberg proves that the ayatollah is as much the author of modern Iran as he is the symbol of its fundamentalist past.

Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah

Download Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0199375690
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah by : Roham Alvandi

Download or read book Nixon, Kissinger, and the Shah written by Roham Alvandi and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this revisionist account of U.S.-Iran relations during the Cold War, Roham Alvandi provides a detailed historical study of the partnership that Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran forged with U.S. President Richard Nixon and his adviser Henry Kissinger in the 1970s.

Iran Reconsidered

Download Iran Reconsidered PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Geopolitics in the 21st Centur
ISBN 13 : 9780815728245
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (282 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Iran Reconsidered by : Suzanne Maloney

Download or read book Iran Reconsidered written by Suzanne Maloney and published by Geopolitics in the 21st Centur. This book was released on 2021-01-26 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Islamic Republic has been struggling to reform itself for 25 years and each time the experiment has gone awry. Iran's revolutionary theocracy has evolved, but the most problematic aspects of its ideology and institutions have managed to endure since 1979. Can the Iran Nuclear Deal, an agreement crafted through intense dialogue with an old adversary, alter the essence of the Islamic Republic and its turbulent relationship with the world? In Iran Reconsidered: The Nuclear Deal and the Quest for a New Moderation Suzanne Maloney argues that the nature of the Islamic Republic amplifies the threat posed by its nuclear ambitions and animates the most tenacious opponents of the deal. For that reason, the fierce debate that has erupted in Washington over the deal hinges on the prognosis for Iran's future.

Hidden Iran

Download Hidden Iran PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Macmillan
ISBN 13 : 142993610X
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Hidden Iran by : Ray Takeyh

Download or read book Hidden Iran written by Ray Takeyh and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2006-10-03 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leading expert explains why we fail to understand Iran and offers a new strategy for redefining this crucial relationship For more than a quarter of a century, few countries have been as resistant to American influence or understanding as Iran. The United States and Iran have long eyed each other with suspicion, all too eager to jump to conclusions and slam the door. What gets lost along the way is a sense of what is actually happening inside Iran and why it matters. With a new hard-line Iranian president making incendiary pronouncements and pressing for nuclear developments, the consequences of not understanding Iran have never been higher. Ray Takeyh, a leading expert on Iran's politics and history, has written a groundbreaking book that demystifies the Iranian regime and shows how the fault lines of Iran's domestic politics serve to explain its behavior. In Hidden Iran, he explains why this country has so often confounded American expectations and why its outward hostility does not necessarily preclude the normalization of relations. Through a clearer understanding of the competing claims of Muslim theology, republican pragmatism, and factional competition, he offers a new paradigm for managing our relations with this rising power.

The Back Channel

Download The Back Channel PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 0525508864
Total Pages : 522 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (255 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Back Channel by : William Joseph Burns

Download or read book The Back Channel written by William Joseph Burns and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 522 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a distinguished and admired American diplomat of the last half century, Burns has played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time: from the bloodless end of the Cold War and post-Cold War relations with Putin's Russia to the secret nuclear talks with Iran. Here he recounts some of the seminal moments of his career, drawing on newly declassified cables and memos to give readers a rare, inside look at American diplomacy in action, and of the people who worked with him. The result is an powerful reminder of the enduring importance of diplomacy. -- adapted from jacket

Iran's Nuclear Diplomacy

Download Iran's Nuclear Diplomacy PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136162887
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (361 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Iran's Nuclear Diplomacy by : Bernd Kaussler

Download or read book Iran's Nuclear Diplomacy written by Bernd Kaussler and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-07-31 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the dynamics of relations and the substance of the negotiations between the international community and Iran over the latter's nuclear programme. Iran’s nuclear programme and the alleged threat to international peace and security remains one of the most important issues in the United States, as well as in European foreign affairs. In the US, Iran has dominated the political discourse for over three decades and Europe has spent considerable political capital in finding a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While relations between both states remain subject to mutual hostility, the EU remains a channel of communication and since 2003 has maintained a multilateral negotiation framework. By and large, the narrative on nuclear negotiations is dominated by constructivist and realist literature, portraying relations between the US and Iran in ideological terms as a prolonged struggle for regional influence. Embedded within conflict resolution and diplomatic theory, this work attempts to bridge this gap. Drawing upon primary documents and interviews, the text examines negotiation behaviour, and strategies and tools of statecraft, as well as analysing technical aspects of initiatives concerning the nuclear programme. This book will be of much interest to students of nuclear proliferation, international diplomacy, Middle Eastern politics, security studies and IR in general.

Foreign Policy Begins at Home

Download Foreign Policy Begins at Home PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Basic Books
ISBN 13 : 0465038646
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (65 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Foreign Policy Begins at Home by : Richard N Haass

Download or read book Foreign Policy Begins at Home written by Richard N Haass and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A concise, comprehensive guide to America's critical policy choices at home and overseas . . . without a partisan agenda, but with a passion for solutions designed to restore our country's strength and enable us to lead." -- Madeleine K. Albright A rising China, climate change, terrorism, a nuclear Iran, a turbulent Middle East, and a reckless North Korea all present serious challenges to America's national security. But it depends even more on the United States addressing its burgeoning deficit and debt, crumbling infrastructure, second class schools, and outdated immigration system. While there is currently no great rival power threatening America directly, how long this strategic respite lasts, according to Council on Foreign Relations President Richard N. Haass, will depend largely on whether the United States puts its own house in order. Haass lays out a compelling vision for restoring America's power, influence, and ability to lead the world and advocates for a new foreign policy of Restoration that would require the US to limit its involvement in both wars of choice, and humanitarian interventions. Offering essential insight into our world of continual unrest, this new edition addresses the major foreign and domestic debates since hardcover publication, including US intervention in Syria, the balance between individual privacy and collective security, and the continuing impact of the sequester.

Negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran

Download Negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 16 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (327 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran by : John W. Limbert

Download or read book Negotiating with the Islamic Republic of Iran written by John W. Limbert and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Iran's Nuclear Ambitions

Download Iran's Nuclear Ambitions PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0870032917
Total Pages : 245 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (7 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Iran's Nuclear Ambitions by : Shahram Chubin

Download or read book Iran's Nuclear Ambitions written by Shahram Chubin and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2010-03-01 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iran is aggressively seeking nuclear technology that could be used for making weapons—and its quest has set off alarms throughout the world. This widespread concern stems in part from Iran's uncertain intentions and recent history. Will it remain a revolutionary power determined to subvert its Sunni Arab neighbors, destroy Israel, and spread theocratic government to other lands? Or would an Iran with nuclear weapons merely defend its territory from foreign aggression and live in peace with its neighbors? Are the country's leaders and society willing to negotiate limits on nuclear capability and normalize relations with the West, or will they resist accommodation? Iran's Nuclear Ambitions provides a rare, balanced look into the motivations, perceptions, and domestic politics swirling around Iran. Shahram Chubin, an Iranian-born security expert, details the recent history of Iran's nuclear program and diplomacy. He argues that the central problem is not nuclear technology, but rather Iran's behavior as a revolutionary state, with ambitions that collide with the interests of its neighbors and the West. Topics include: The view from Tehran Iran's nuclear energy rationale, domestic politics, and decisionmaking Sources of concern, including the nature of Iran's regime, its nuclear infrastructure, missile development, and terrorism Iran's negotiating strategy The international response Iran and regional security, including the U.S. as a threat and rival, Iran's regional ambitions, and Israel Policy options

The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East

Download The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393285561
Total Pages : 475 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (932 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East by : Ray Takeyh

Download or read book The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East written by Ray Takeyh and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2016-04-18 with total page 475 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bold reexamination of U.S. influence in the Middle East during the Cold War. The Arab Spring, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, the Iraq war, and the Syrian civil war—these contemporary conflicts have deep roots in the Middle East’s postwar emergence from colonialism. In The Pragmatic Superpower, foreign policy experts Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon reframe the legacy of U.S. involvement in the Arab world from 1945 to 1991 and shed new light on the makings of the contemporary Middle East. Cutting against conventional wisdom, the authors argue that, when an inexperienced Washington entered the turbulent world of Middle Eastern politics, it succeeded through hardheaded pragmatism—and secured its place as a global superpower. Eyes ever on its global conflict with the Soviet Union, America shrewdly navigated the rise of Arab nationalism, the founding of Israel, and seminal conflicts including the Suez War and the Iranian revolution. Takeyh and Simon reveal that America’s objectives in the region were often uncomplicated but hardly modest. Washington deployed adroit diplomacy to prevent Soviet infiltration of the region, preserve access to its considerable petroleum resources, and resolve the conflict between a Jewish homeland and the Arab states that opposed it. The Pragmatic Superpower provides fascinating insight into Washington’s maneuvers in a contest for global power and offers a unique reassessment of America’s cold war policies in a critical region of the world. Amid the chaotic conditions of the twenty-first century, Takeyh and Simon argue that there is an urgent need to look back to a period when the United States got it right. Only then will we better understand the challenges we face today.

Women and Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling and Reveiling

Download Women and Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling and Reveiling PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780511296574
Total Pages : 359 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (965 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Women and Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling and Reveiling by : Hamideh Sedghi

Download or read book Women and Politics in Iran: Veiling, Unveiling and Reveiling written by Hamideh Sedghi and published by . This book was released on 2014-05-14 with total page 359 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why were urban women veiled in the early 1900s, unveiled from 1936 to 1979, and reveiled after the 1979 revolution? This question forms the basis of Hamideh Sedghi's original and unprecedented contribution to politics and Middle Eastern studies. Using primary and secondary sources, Sedghi offers new knowledge on women's agency in relation to state power. In this rigorous analysis she places contention over women at the centre of the political struggle between secular and religious forces and demonstrates that control over women's identities, sexuality, and labor has been central to the consolidation of state power. Sedghi links politics and culture with economics to present an integrated analysis of the private and public lives of different classes of women and their modes of resistance to state power.

The Iranian Revolution at Forty

Download The Iranian Revolution at Forty PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 0815737947
Total Pages : 253 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (157 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Iranian Revolution at Forty by : Suzanne Maloney

Download or read book The Iranian Revolution at Forty written by Suzanne Maloney and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How Iran—and the world around it—have changed in the four decades since a revolutionary theocracy took power Iran's 1979 revolution is one of the most important events of the late twentieth century. The overthrow of the Western-leaning Shah and the emergence of a unique religious government reshaped Iran, dramatically shifted the balance of power in the Middle East and generated serious challenges to the global geopolitical order—challenges that continue to this day. The seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran later that same year and the ensuing hostage crisis resulted in an acrimonious breach between America and Iran that remains unresolved to this day. The revolution also precipitated a calamitous war between Iran and Iraq and an expansion of the U.S. military's role in maintaining security in and around the Persian Gulf. Forty years after the revolution, more than two dozen experts look back on the rise of the Islamic Republic and explore what the startling events of 1979 continue to mean for the volatile Middle East as well as the rest of the world. The authors explore the events of the revolution itself; whether its promises have been kept or broken; the impact of clerical rule on ordinary Iranians, especially women; the continuing antagonism with the United States; and the repercussions not only for Iran's immediate neighborhood but also for the broader Middle East. Complete with a helpful timeline and suggestions for further reading, this book helps put the Iranian revolution in historical and geopolitical perspective, both for experts who have long studied the Middle East and for curious readers interested in fallout from the intense turmoil of four decades ago.

U.S. Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran

Download U.S. Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 144225212X
Total Pages : 203 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (422 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis U.S. Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran by : Kumuda Simpson

Download or read book U.S. Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran written by Kumuda Simpson and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2015-12-24 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United States’ commitment to non-proliferation often propels its foreign policy rhetoric. In 2002, George W. Bush framed his goal of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons within the context of the global war on terror, accusing Iran of being part of the “Axis of Evil.” Iran’s nuclear program was declared an intolerable threat to global peace and stability. This approach however showed the conflict between the rhetoric of good vs. evil and the need for a pragmatic and measured approach to non-proliferation in the Middle East. The book explores this divergence between the alarmist rhetoric of the Bush Administration’s public diplomacy and its actual non-proliferation policy toward Iran. It shows how the two policy directions, the war on terror and negotiations over the nuclear issue, were often at odds. Further, the Administration’s desire to change the regime in Iran undermined efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue. Ultimately, the policies implemented failed both to shut down Iran’s nuclear program and bring significant democratic reform within the Islamic Republic. The book also examines this legacy and how Obama’s approach differs or follows that of his predecessor. Lastly, the implications for non-proliferation policies beyond Iran are discussed, as nuclear proliferation remains a key concern in a Middle East plagued by instability.

The Age of Deception

Download The Age of Deception PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Metropolitan Books
ISBN 13 : 1429961384
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Age of Deception by : Mohamed ElBaradei

Download or read book The Age of Deception written by Mohamed ElBaradei and published by Metropolitan Books. This book was released on 2011-04-26 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the first time, the Nobel Prize laureate and "man in the middle" of the planet's most explosive confrontations speaks out—on his dealings with America, negotiations with Iran, reform and democracy in the Middle East, and the prospects for a future free of nuclear weapons. For the past two decades, Mohamed ElBaradei has played a key role in the most high-stakes conflicts of our time. Unique in maintaining credibility in the Arab world and the West alike, ElBaradei has emerged as a singularly independent, uncompromised voice. As the director of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency, he has contended with the Bush administration's assault on Iraq, the nuclear aspirations of North Korea, and the West's standoff with Iran. For their efforts to control nuclear proliferation, ElBaradei and his agency received the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize. Now, in a vivid and thoughtful account, ElBaradei takes us inside the international fray. Inspector, adviser, and mediator, ElBaradei moves from Baghdad, where Iraqi officials bleakly predict the coming war, to behind-the-scenes exchanges with Condoleezza Rice, to the streets of Pyongyang and the trail of Pakistani nuclear smugglers. He dissects the possibility of rapprochement with Iran while rejecting hard-line ideologies of every kind, decrying an us-versus-them approach and insisting on the necessity of relentless diplomacy. Above all, he illustrates that the security of nations is tied to the security of individuals, dependent not only on disarmament but on a universal commitment to human dignity, democratic values, and the freedom from want. Probing and eloquent, The Age of Deception is an unparalleled account of society's struggle to come to grips with the uncertainties of our age.

Guardians of the Revolution

Download Guardians of the Revolution PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199754101
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Guardians of the Revolution by : Ray Takeyh

Download or read book Guardians of the Revolution written by Ray Takeyh and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-05-05 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. The unending war of words suggests an intractable divide between Iran and the West, one that may very well lead to a shooting war in the near future. But as Ray Takeyh shows in this accessible and authoritative history of Iran's relations with the world since the revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans is a nation that is far more pragmatic--and complex--than many in the West have been led to believe. Takeyh explodes many of our simplistic myths of Iran as an intransigently Islamist foe of the West. Tracing the course of Iranian policy since the 1979 revolution, Takeyh identifies four distinct periods: the revolutionary era of the 1980s, the tempered gradualism following the death of Khomeini and the end of the Iran-Iraq war in 1989, the "reformist" period from 1997-2005 under President Khatami, and the shift toward confrontation and radicalism since the election of President Ahmadinejad in 2005. Takeyh shows that three powerful forces--Islamism, pragmatism, and great power pretensions--have competed in each of these 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 behavior 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.