Through a series of conversations with prominent theorists and leading political activists in different parts of the world, this book explores the causes of the setbacks of both the reformist and revolutionary strategies of the socialist Left. Addressing the larger questions around the agenda(s) of socialism in the era of globalization, the interviewees believe that capitalism is not sustainable in the long run, due largely to its inherent contradictions, and that a post-capitalist social world order is inevitable and attainable. Despite notable differences, what emerges from this collection of voices and perspectives is a unified call to mobilize and organize for radical change through engagement with the various social groups that could play instrumental roles in the transition beyond a capitalist social formation.

This book advances the argument that revivalist Islamic states, in spite of their possible circumstantial variations, share certain universal characteristics. They are bound to undergo a prolonged period of crisis in the process of their self-definition. This crisis is the outcome of the confrontation between the populist forces with their populist-utopian interpretation of Islam, and the conservative alliance of privileged classes upholding Islam's defence of private property rights as sacred. Such a confrontation is further accentuated by the antagonism of revivalist movements toward cultural patterns that do not conform to traditional Islamic values. In this book, leading authorities on Iran examine the characteristics of the 1979 revolution and the post-revolutionary crisis, to provide a unique analysis and appraisal of a nation's experimentation with Islam as a political catalyst and as a philosophy for building social order.