Product Overview
From Follett
At head of title: Herbert and Jane Dwight Working Group on Islamism and the International Order.;Includes bibliographical references ("Suggestions for further reading": pages 131-136) and index.;1. The permanent revolution? -- 2. How foreign policy has sustained the revolution at home -- 3. Key episodes in US-Iran diplomacy -- 4. Toward a new Iran strategy. "In Revolution and Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran, Eric Edelman and Ray Takeyh examine one of the most underappreciated forces that has shaped modern US foreign policy: American-Iranian relations. They argue that America's flawed reading of Iran's domestic politics has hamstrung decades of US diplomacy, resulting in humiliations and setbacks ranging from the 1979-81 hostage crisis to Barack Obama's concession-laden nuclear weapons deal. What presidents and diplomats have repeatedly failed to grasp, they write, is that 'the Islamic Republic is a revolutionary state whose entire identity is invested in its hostility toward the West.' To illuminate a path forward for American-Iranian relations, the authors address some of the most persistent myths about Iran, its ruling elite, and its people. They discuss the ways Iran played a vital role in US grand strategy after World War II. They discuss the Ayatollah Khomeini's worldview--including his view of the United States as 'the Great Satan'--and his remarkably durable legacy, which has animated decades of Iranian policies even when such policies are detrimental to the country's other stated national interests. Finally, they highlight lessons leaders can learn from America's many missteps since the 1979 Islamic Revolution." -- publisher.
From the Publisher
In Revolution and Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran, Eric Edelman and Ray Takeyh examine one of the most underappreciated forces that has shaped modern US foreign policy: American-Iranian relations. They argue that America's flawed reading of Iran's domestic politics has hamstrung decades of US diplomacy, resulting in humiliations and setbacks ranging from the 1979-81 hostage crisis to Barack Obama's concession-laden nuclear weapons deal. What presidents and diplomats have repeatedly failed to grasp, they write, is that "the Islamic Republic is a revolutionary state whose entire identity is invested in its hostility toward the West." To illuminate a path forward for American-Iranian relations, the authors address some of the most persistent myths about Iran, its ruling elite, and its people. Finally, they highlight lessons leaders can learn from America's many missteps since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.