THE IRAN PRIMER
Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy
(click for larger cover)
$24.95 $20.00
(Paperback)
978-1-60127-084-9
USIP Press Books
December 2010
300 pp.
, 8 1/2" x 11"
"The Iran Primer presents 50 articles on topics including governing institutions, the opposition, the military, the nuclear controversy, international sanctions, and the economy. It covers the tortuous diplomacy of every U.S. presidency from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama (with the essay on each administration written by someone who served in it), as well as Iran's relations with its neighbors and with China, Russia, and the EU. Fifty short biographies sketch the Iranian political elite, including those in power, those in opposition, and significant figures no longer living (such as the ayatollahs Ruhollah Khomeini and Hossein Ali Montazeri). Concise (almost every contributor was held to around three pages), comprehensive (it includes unexpected entries, such as one on bazaars), and well organized (with six separate thematic timelines), this is a beautifully wrought handbook. It is also an ongoing project, with its own Web site (iranprimer.usip.org), where new material is added."
Foreign Affairs
Since Iran’s 1979 revolution, the West has struggled to understand what drives the Islamic Republic and how to deal with it. The challenge now looms even larger in the face of Iran’s controversial nuclear program, disputed 2009 election, growing human rights violations, and angry rhetoric. Difficult to engage yet impossible to ignore, Iran presents the world’s most complex foreign policy dilemma.
The Iran Primer offers a comprehensive but concise overview of Iran’s politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. It 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) as well as a handful of rising talent. It provides hard factual information for ready reference, thoughtful analysis, and context. The Iran Primer 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.
This volume is a joint product of the United States Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Robin Wright, editor of, "The Iran Primer: Power, Politics, and U.S. Policy" discusses the new volume and online resource, and presents a fascinating wealth of information for anyone interested in understanding Iran's pivotal role in world politics.
Author, journalist and foreign policy analyst Robin Wright has reported from 140 countries for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times of London and CBS News. She has also written for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, TIME, Foreign Affairs and others. Currently a joint fellow at USIP and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Wright has been a fellow at Yale, Duke, Stanford, Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Ms. Wright is the 2012 recipient of the Overseas Press Club's Cornelius Ryan Award for the best non-fiction book on international affairs: Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World.
Browse Inside the Book
Introduction
Contributors
Press Kit
Contents
The Challenge of Iran - Robin Wright
Section I - Iran's Politics
The Supreme Leader - Karim Sadjadjpour
The Six Presidents - Shaul Bakhash
The Parliament - Farideh Farhi
The Islamic Judiciary - Hadi Ghaemi
Politics and the Clergy - Mehdi Khalaji
Iran and Islam - Juan Cole
Iran and Democracy - Daniel Brumberg
Section II - The Opposition
The Green Movement - Abbas Milani
The Women's Movement - Haleh Esfandiari
The Youth - Omid Memarian and Tara Nesvaderani
The New Political Tools - Geneive Abdo
Section III - The Iranian Military
The Revolutionary Guards - Alireza Nader
The Basij Resistance Force - Ali Alfoneh
The Conventional Military - Anthony H. Cordesman
Iran's Military Doctrine - Michael Connell
Section IV - The Nuclear Controversy
Iran's Nuclear Program - David Albright and Andrea Sricker
The Politics of Iran's Nuclear Program - Shahram Chubin
Iran's Ballistic Missile Program - Michael Elleman
Iran and the IAEA - Michael Adler
Section V - Iran's Economy
The Revolutionary Economy - Suzanne Maloney
The Oil and Gas Industry - Fareed Mohamedi
The Subsidies Conundrum - Semira N. Nikou
The Bazaar - Kevan Harris
Section VI - Sanctions
U.S. Sanctions - Patrick Clawson
The U.N. Resolutions - Jason Starr
Financial Sanctions - Matthew Levitt
Section VII - U.S.–Iran
The Carter Administration - Gary Sick
The Reagan Administration - Geoffrey Kemp
The Bush I Administration - Richard N. Haass
The Clinton Administration - Bruce O. Riedel
The Bush II Administration - Stephen J. Hadley
The Obama Administration - John Limbert
Section VIII - Iran and the Region
Iran and Iraq - Michael Eisenstadt
Iran and Afghanistan - Mohsen Milani
Iran and the Gulf States - Afshin Molavi
Iran and Turkey - Henri J. Barkey
Iran and Israel - Steven Simon
Iran and the Palestinians - Rachel Brandenburg
Iran and Syria - Jubin Goodarzi
Iran and Lebanon - Emile Hokayem
Iran and China - John Park
Iran and Russia - Mark Katz
Iran and the European Union - Walter Posch
Iran's Alternative Allies - Steven Heydemann
Section IX - Policy Considerations
Reading Iran - Ellen Laipson
Engaging Iran - James Dobbins
Track II Diplomacy - Suzanne DiMaggio
Containing Iran - Kenneth M. Pollack
The Military Option - Dov S. Zakheim
Appendices - People, Places, and Key Events
Iran's Power Structure - Mehrzad Boroujerdi and Kourosh Rahimkhani
Iran's Political Elite - Mehrzad Boroujerdi and Kourosh Rahimkhani
Timeline of Iran's Political Events - Semira N. Nikou
Timeline of Iran's Foreign Relations - Semira N. Nikou
Timeline of Military and Security Events - Semira N. Nikou
Timeline of Iran's Nuclear Activities - Semira N. Nikou
Iran Nuclear Sites - Semira N. Nikou
Timeline of U.S. Sanctions - Jason Starr
Oil Price and Production Charts - Fareed Mohamedi
Websites for Additional Information - Semira N. Nikou
About the Authors
Related Titles
Iran's Long Reach: Iran as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World
Negotiating with Iran : Wrestling the Ghosts of History
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