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Retargeting Iran
A timely primer on the conflict between the United States and Iran by scholars of Middle Eastern politics who advocate diplomacy and de-escalation.
The U.S. and Iran are locked in a dangerous cycle of brinkmanship and violence. Both countries have staged cyber attacks and recently shot down one another's aircrafts. Why do both countries seem intent on escalation? Why did the U.S. abandon the nuclear deal (which, according to the UN, was working)? Where can Washington and Tehran find common ground? To address these questions and the political and historical forces at play, David Barsamian presents the perspectives of Iran scholars Ervand Abrahamian, Noam Chomsky, Nader Hashemi, Azadeh Moaveni, and Trita Parsi. A follow-up to the previously published Targeting Iran, this timely book continues to affirm the goodwill between Iranian and American people, even as their respective governments clash on the international stage.
Praise for ReTargeting Iran:
"A necessary and timely education on one of the most politically fraught and historically significant relationships of our time. I devoured these smart, insightful interviews with five important Iran scholars, about the struggle between two countries that have both been our home."--Dina Nayeri, author of The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You
"This little book contains more wisdom about Iran than exists in the White House, Congress, the State Department, and the Pentagon combined. Anyone who wants to understand the world's most misunderstood country will find no better source."--Stephen Kinzer, Author of All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror
"Many journalists and academics have written books about Iran. But "Retargeting Iran" fills an important gap, a book sharply critical of U.S. policy and the Iranian government. David Barsamian provides timely interviews with major analysts that sets the record straight. It's a highly accessible read and a great introduction to the U.S.-Iran conflict."--Reese Erlich, author of The Iran Agenda Today: The Real Story Inside Iran and What's Wrong with U.S. Policy.
The U.S. and Iran are locked in a dangerous cycle of brinkmanship and violence. Both countries have staged cyber attacks and recently shot down one another's aircrafts. Why do both countries seem intent on escalation? Why did the U.S. abandon the nuclear deal (which, according to the UN, was working)? Where can Washington and Tehran find common ground? To address these questions and the political and historical forces at play, David Barsamian presents the perspectives of Iran scholars Ervand Abrahamian, Noam Chomsky, Nader Hashemi, Azadeh Moaveni, and Trita Parsi. A follow-up to the previously published Targeting Iran, this timely book continues to affirm the goodwill between Iranian and American people, even as their respective governments clash on the international stage.
Praise for ReTargeting Iran:
"A necessary and timely education on one of the most politically fraught and historically significant relationships of our time. I devoured these smart, insightful interviews with five important Iran scholars, about the struggle between two countries that have both been our home."--Dina Nayeri, author of The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You
"This little book contains more wisdom about Iran than exists in the White House, Congress, the State Department, and the Pentagon combined. Anyone who wants to understand the world's most misunderstood country will find no better source."--Stephen Kinzer, Author of All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror
"Many journalists and academics have written books about Iran. But "Retargeting Iran" fills an important gap, a book sharply critical of U.S. policy and the Iranian government. David Barsamian provides timely interviews with major analysts that sets the record straight. It's a highly accessible read and a great introduction to the U.S.-Iran conflict."--Reese Erlich, author of The Iran Agenda Today: The Real Story Inside Iran and What's Wrong with U.S. Policy.
- GenresIranNonfiction
200 pages, Paperback
Published August 4, 2020
5 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
David Barsamian
57 books59 followersDavid Barsamian is an Armenian-American radio broadcaster, writer, and the founder and director of Alternative Radio, the Boulder, Colorado-based syndicated weekly talk program heard on some 125 radio stations in various countries.[1]
Barsamian started working in radio in 1978 at KGNU in Boulder, Colorado and then KRZA in Alamosa, Colorado.
His interviews and articles also appear regularly in The Progressive, The Nation, and Z Magazine. Barsamian also lectures on U.S. foreign policy, corporate control, the media, and propaganda. He is a member of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy.
As a writer, Barsamian is best known for his series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, which have been published in book form and translated into many languages, selling hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
Barsamian started working in radio in 1978 at KGNU in Boulder, Colorado and then KRZA in Alamosa, Colorado.
His interviews and articles also appear regularly in The Progressive, The Nation, and Z Magazine. Barsamian also lectures on U.S. foreign policy, corporate control, the media, and propaganda. He is a member of the Campaign for Peace and Democracy.
As a writer, Barsamian is best known for his series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, which have been published in book form and translated into many languages, selling hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide.
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June 18, 2024
In just 180 pages, Retargeting Iran provides an incredibly thorough and on one of the most poorly understood countries of the world from a Western perspective. A compilation of several interviews with note-worthy experts on Middle-eastern politics, Barsamian puts forward a diverse synopsis of key issues affecting Iran and its people. I especially appreciated Azadeh Moaveni's perspective on the feminist movement within the country, and how it has been sharpened by the driven and educated Shi'a women over the past five decades. Moaveni offers a strong rebuke towards outside groups who attempt to weaponize the struggle of Iranian women in order to further sanction and destabilize the country, while showing little care to then lives of the very women they claim to sympathize with.
Additionally, I can't write this review mere hours after the public announcement of the passing of legendary activist and linguist Noam Chomsky without reflecting on the incredible life's work he put forward in encouraging critical thinking and challenging Western power. His contribution towards "Retargeting Iran" featured that familiar cutting diction and persuasive argumentation that has been Chomsky's weapon against injustice his entire career. He is an inspiration to progressives everywhere, and his reasoning present here is just as cogent as it has always been.
Additionally, I can't write this review mere hours after the public announcement of the passing of legendary activist and linguist Noam Chomsky without reflecting on the incredible life's work he put forward in encouraging critical thinking and challenging Western power. His contribution towards "Retargeting Iran" featured that familiar cutting diction and persuasive argumentation that has been Chomsky's weapon against injustice his entire career. He is an inspiration to progressives everywhere, and his reasoning present here is just as cogent as it has always been.
Displaying 1 of 1 review