Iran 101
October 18, 2010 4:11 AM   Subscribe

Iran – a Primer brings together 50 top experts —both Western and Iranian—to offer comprehensive but concise overviews of Iran’s politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. Overview.
Editor Robin Wright on The Challenge of Iran

An interesting (to me) sampler: The importance and history of the Bazaar.
Relationship with Afghanistan
Relationship with the Obama administration.
Iran and Islam.
posted by adamvasco (24 comments total) 13 users marked this as a favorite
 
The book has no single political perspective or agenda, as the authors approach the subjects with a wide range of views.

They include scholars at the US Institute of Peace, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Council on Foreign Relations, Brookings Institution, Rand Corp, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Asia Society, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, American Enterprise Institute, the Institute for Science and International Security, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, New America Foundation, Stimson Center, Center for Naval Analyses, Nixon Center, The Century Foundation, International and Foreign Policy Institute (Berlin), the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and several universities, including Stanford, Michigan, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Georgetown, Syracuse, and the U.S. Naval Academy.


"No single political agenda" does not mean no political agenda. AEI, Brookings, and Rand Corp helped send America to war with Iraq, surely their interest in Iran is more than academic.
posted by three blind mice at 4:48 AM on October 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


I wish the focus wasn't so heavy on Iran 1979-onward. I understand it's a primer, and American, and it would be hard to put 100 years of Iranian history in a nutshell when the emphasis is on Iran of TODAY. But I still think it's fairly important to understand the American and British involvement in the 1953 coup d'etat, which is only scarcely mentioned here and there. The power struggle between parliament and monarchy goes waaaaay back, and it's vital to know how Iranians came to understand and fight for democracy in the early 1900s.

Iran didn't simply start existing in 1979. The West has played a far bigger role in previous revolutions and political events than this primer would tend to indicate.
posted by Menomena at 4:49 AM on October 18, 2010 [6 favorites]


But I still think it's fairly important to understand the American and British involvement in the 1953 coup d'etat, which is only scarcely mentioned here and there

Some scholars have begun to question the impact of British and American involvement in the 53 coup. I mean this is the CIA the same guys who tried to topple Castro by making his beard fall out. The guys who gave us Chalebi. Isn't it more likely that the real people behind the Mossadeg overthrow were more than happy to let America take credit.
posted by humanfont at 5:23 AM on October 18, 2010




Or is your point that, although we were involved, it was more the other guy's fault?
posted by Joe Beese at 5:36 AM on October 18, 2010


Iran didn't simply start existing in 1979.

The country is ancient, but the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran came into existence on April 1, 1979. The Iranian revolution certainly changed the politics in Iran and arguably re-defined all of the politics in the Middle East.

It's does not seem unfair to focus on this most recent period when evaluating Iran. Also for the large majority of Iranians (born after 1980) this is the only history they personally know.
posted by three blind mice at 7:26 AM on October 18, 2010


I have a great deal of confidence we were involved. No one disputes that. Some recent scholars assert that the US and British position as supporting bit players was transformed into that of mastermind. It seems easier to blame the outsider for the trouble. You get what you want but it isn't really your fault, it's those dastardly Americans. I mean come on the CIA? The worlds most ineffective intelligence agency? What's more likely they were mastermind or just some patsy left holding the bag.
posted by humanfont at 7:32 AM on October 18, 2010


Well, we failed with Castro, but succeeded with Allende and Mosaddegh. So maybe the CIA is only effective at overthrowing democratically elected leaders.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:05 AM on October 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


>I mean come on the CIA? The worlds most ineffective intelligence agency?

But they are the world's foremost drug running agency.
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 8:30 AM on October 18, 2010 [1 favorite]


To get back to the core topic and away from dumping on the CIA. In reading through the report it would appear that Ahmedinijad has gone from front man for the ayatollahs to consolidating power under him. Where 2-3 years ago we would say Ahmedinijad wasn't really that important in the grabs scheme of things, it would now appear he's built a strong political base and has a great deal of influence. I wonder what the likelihood is of a purge of the clerics, with show trials like in the old communist era.
posted by humanfont at 9:16 AM on October 18, 2010


we failed with Castro
we sure did but he came out ok

But they are the world's foremost drug running agency.
I thought that was Merck.
good post with great talking points

Joe, AELFY feel free to muddle the topic with banal, sophmoric rant.
posted by clavdivs at 9:29 AM on October 18, 2010 [3 favorites]


Something I noticed here was the absence of anything about Iran's relationship with Pakistan
which I find slightly strange as they share a border which is troubled.
Also of interest is the Iran / Latin America link ()
posted by adamvasco at 11:29 AM on October 18, 2010


Apparently the latest is that the US is forcing BP, Shell, etc to stop selling jet fuel to Iran air. The result is that the won't be able to fly to most European airports at the end of the next month when contracts run out.
posted by humanfont at 12:03 PM on October 18, 2010


Recommended instead:

Amazon: The Devil we know

Also recommended: Blog posts at FabiusMaximus about Iran
posted by yoyo_nyc at 12:10 PM on October 18, 2010






Former Iraqi pm charges Iran is destabilizing the mid-east

The challenge here is that Allawi is fighting with Malaki over who gets to be the next pm. Part of his canpaign is to make Malaki appear to be allowed with Iran. This might be true or it could be the same as Clinton is a Soviet spy nonsense from some years back.
posted by humanfont at 12:51 PM on October 18, 2010


CLAVDIVS is that what passes for a rant these days?
posted by AElfwine Evenstar at 5:07 AM on October 19, 2010






Iran stoning case woman to be 'hanged'
posted by Artw at 1:46 PM on November 2, 2010






Increasingly tough sanctions directed at Tehran strike an unintended blow against Dubai’s Iranian traders.
posted by adamvasco at 12:39 AM on November 15, 2010


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