Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy and the Roots of Mistrust [Hardcover]

'In his brilliant new book, Confronting Iran, AliAnsari portrays the growing secularisation ofIranian society as an unstoppable force.'-The Guardian'a lively and rewarding read'-The Economist'Ansari's book A... may help to dissolve thoseimages of mad ayatollahs armed with nuclearweapons raging through the Middle East.'-Times Literary Supplement'It is hard to imagine a more timely and readablecontribution to the current debate overpolicy towards Iran. A... Few emerge with creditfrom a story full of tragedy and mutual incomprehension.'-Sir Lawrence Freedman'For anyone seeking to understand Iran'smotivations or American foreign policy in theregion, Ali Ansari's valuable book is the rightplace to start.' -Gary Sick'With war plans being rumoured, there couldbe no better time for Ansari's smart, concise,jargon-free recounting of a century of American-Iranian relations. This should be on themust read list of anyone concerned with what comes next in the MiddleEast.' -Richard W. Bulliet, Columbia University

'In his brilliant new book, Confronting Iran, Ali Ansari portrays the growing secularisation of Iranian society as an unstoppable force.'

scholarly but lucid account by a prominent historian...does not ignore
Iran's tortured politics and its national myth of victimization.

'a sound and indispensable survey of the historical background to
the latest US-Iranian confrontation.'

The Islamic Republic of Iran's ongoing nuclear programme has provoked a major and menacing crisis in its relations with the US and other Western powers. Ali Ansari, a Briton of Iranian origin, argues that the crisis is a symptom of broader, long-term fissures in US-Iranian relations, and in Confronting Iran he seeks to disentangle the myths that are at the bottom of this gulf in understanding which is compounded by the nature of the two states, their foreign policy establishments and the fraught history of their relations since the 1979 revolution. Ansari reviews the historical antecedents of the crisis, in particular US-Iranian relations since 9/11 and attempts by the EU to broker a settlement acceptable to all parties. He argues that the European position has been dictated as much by its relations with the US in the wake of the invasion of Iraq as by domestic politics in Iran, and he concludes by assessing the election of Mahmud Ahmadinejad as President and its likely impact on the view from Tehran and Washington. This account of a potential flashpoint in relations between the Muslim world and the West could not be more timely.

‘It is hard to imagine a more timely and readable contribution to the current debate over policy towards Iran. Ali Ansari provides the essential historical context, explaining the scars left by the overthrow of Mosaddeq in 1953 and the 1979 revolution. Few emerge with credit from a story full of tragedy and mutual incomprehension.’—Sir Lawrence Freedman, Professor of War Studies, King’s College London

‘A brisk and readable account which sets the antagonism between Iran and the United States in historical and cultural context. For anyone seeking to understand Iran’s motivations or American foreign policy in the region, Ali Ansari’s valuable book is the right place to start.’—Gary Sick, Columbia University and principal White House aide for Iran during the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis.

‘With war plans being rumoured, there could be no better time for Ansari’s smart, concise, jargon-free recounting of a century of American-Iranian relations. This should be on the must read list of anyone concerned with what comes next in the Middle East.’—Professor Richard W. Bulliet, Columbia University

Ali M. Ansari is Reader in Modern History with reference to the Middle East at the University of St Andrews, and Associate Fellow of the Middle East programme with reference to Iran at Chatham House, London. He is the author of The History of Modern Iran since 1921 (2003).