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 tocontain 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.
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