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Global Security Watch--Iran A Reference Handbook
Thomas R. Mattair
Book Code: C9483
ISBN: 0-275-99483-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99483-9
224 pages
Praeger Security International Academic Cloth
Publication: 6/30/2008
List Price: $55.00 (UK Sterling Price: £31.95)
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Series Title: Global Security Watch
  • Endorsement From General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Ret.)
    Former Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command from 1997 to 2000 and former Special Envoy to Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 2001-2002:     Dr. Mattair has written a superb, insightful work that thoroughly lays out the issues, history, and options regarding our relationship with Iran. It is a must-read for those interested in this critical problem and for those decision-makers who will decide our course of action.
  • Endorsement From Paul R. Pillar, Visiting Professor, Georgetown University
    Former Deputy Director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center from 1997 until 2000 and former chief National Intelligence Officer for the Near East and South Asia from 2000 until 2005.:     Thomas Mattair's volume on Iran is a valuable addition to the shelf of anyone seeking to understand the perplexing policy issues involving that country. Mattair provides, in a concise package, a wealth of information that is essential background for addressing those issues. The policy implications he extracts are on the mark.
  • Endorsement From The Honorable Chas. W. Freeman, Jr.
    President, Middle East Policy Council, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1989 to 1992 and former Assistant Secretary of Defense in 1993-1994:     This is a remarkably timely book-a meticulously researched and highly readable benchmark study of Iran that will reward readers with a comprehensive understanding of the major questions arising from Iran's past and present interactions with the United States and other major powers in the Middle East, culminating in a very fairly presented, but sobering discussion of current American policy options.
Description: This book explains the foreign policy decisions of Iranian leaders, as well as the foreign policy decisions of its neighbors and major world powers. Iran is not treated primarily as a problem to be dealt with by the United States and its friends. There is an effort to understand not only the concerns and policies of the United States and its allies, but also to understand Iranian concerns and policy. Thus, this book is better able than many others to explain the actions, reactions, and interactions of all the relevant actors and to explore the prospects for future war or peace. Mattair provides a comprehensive analysis of Iran's relations with its neighbors and major world powers. He begins with a review of Iran's foreign relations from the time of Iran's founding in the 5th century B.C. through the Islamic era beginning in the mid-600's A.D., and the native dynasties that ruled in more recent centuries as Iran faced challenges from foreign powers such as the Ottoman Empire and Western colonial empires. The rule of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, from 1941 until 1979, is analyzed in detail, covering his efforts to deter aggression by the Soviet Union, forge an alliance with the United States, assert Iran's power in the Persian Gulf, and exercise Iran's economic power, particularly through its oil wealth. The bulk of the book, however, focuses on the foreign relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1979, during the time in which Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors have ruled. The reasons for Iran's early revolutionary activism, its antagonism toward the United States and Israel, and its war with Iraq from 1980 to 1988, are carefully examined. The reasons for international efforts to contain Iran, particularly efforts by the United States, are also analyzed. Iran's more pragmatic policies are explained, as well, including its close relations with Russia and China, its efforts to repair relations with Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states of the Gulf, its cooperation with U.S. efforts to topple the Taliban in Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, and its offer of comprehensive negotiations with the United States in May 2003. Finally, Mattair analyses the current global debate about whether diplomacy, sanctions, or military action are appropriate responses to Iran's nuclear programs, its role in Iraq and the Persian Gulf, and its resistance to Israel.
Table of Contents:
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • 1.The History of Iran
  • 2.Iran Under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
  • 3.The Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
  • 4.The World and the Islamic Republic
  • 5.Contemporary Dilemmas
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Biographical Profiles
  • Chronology of Events
  • Documents
  • Glossary
  • Selected Bibliography
  • Index
LC Card Number: 2008007312
LCC Class: DS274
Dewey Class: 327
PDF Catalogs:
PSI Reference Spring 2008.pdf
Academic Library Fall 2008.pdf
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