Guardians of the Revolution:Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs

Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Public Affairs & Administration, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Guardians of the Revolution:Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs by Ray Takeyh, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ray Takeyh ISBN: 9780199793136
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: April 28, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Ray Takeyh
ISBN: 9780199793136
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: April 28, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

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.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book The Struggle for Egypt : From Nasser to Tahrir Square by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri : Volume 3: Paradiso by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Terror, Security, and Money:Balancing the Risks, Benefits, and Costs of Homeland Security by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Music In The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book How Everyone Became Depressed: The Rise and Fall of the Nervous Breakdown by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Ignorance:How It Drives Science by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Memoirs of a Militia Sergeant by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book The Great Depression And The New Deal: A Very Short Introduction by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Experimental Philosophy by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder:A Family Guide for Healing and Change by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book The Fall of the Faculty:The Rise of the All-Administrative University and Why It Matters by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Cultures in Conflict : Christians Muslims and Jews in the Age of Discovery by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Islam and the Arab Awakening by Ray Takeyh
Cover of the book Law 101 : Everything You Need To Know About The American Legal System by Ray Takeyh
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy