Revolution and Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran

by Eric Edelman, Ray Takeyh

In Revolution and Forging a New Strategy toward Iran , Eric Edelman and Ray Takeyh examine one of the most underappreciated forces that has shaped modern US foreign 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.

168 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2018

Reviews

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolution and Aftermath: Forging a New Strategy toward Iran by Eric Edelman and Ray Takeyh is an insightful overview of the history of the US-Iran relationship, and what the authors believe to be a legacy of failed US foreign policy, alongside its corrective. This book is an extended essay, and is hawkish in its policy aims. This is of no surprise, and not necessarily to the book's detriment. It does, however, leave me feeling like something is missing. There is a lot of reframing of the policy debate, but very little engagement with the ideas this book is meant to stand against. Toward the end I'm left feeling like I've consumed half a book. I feel like I understand the Hawkish position, but if all I knew was what this text gave me, I would feel utterly lost as to why we aren't, and haven't been, more hawkish than we've ever been before. This is advocacy, advocacy that I am rather surprisingly sympathetic to, but it shouldn't be your first introduction to Iran or Iran policy.

87/100

[Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is able to clearly articulate complex historical issues and policy topics in a very condensed fashion. Every sentence of this book is concise, important, and well written. Short but great read!