Confronting Iran: The Failure of American Foreign Policy and the Next Great Crisis in the Middle East and the Next Great Crisis in the Middle East

by Ali M. Ansari

Iran refuses to relent in developing nuclear technology, despite U.N. sanctions. Rumors persist that Israel is drawing up plans for military strikes. Neither the emboldened Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad nor the embattled President Bush has relented in his war of words. How did we get here? Iran expert Ali Ansari sets the current crisis in the context of a long history of mutual antagonism. From the overthrow of Mosaddeq in 1953 to the hostage crisis in 1979 and, more recently, the Gulf War and the War in Iraq, both Iranian and American politicians have forged conflicting narratives about an “evil empire” lying half a world away-resulting in a mutual mistrust that may ultimately lead to war.

Genres: Iran, History, Middle East, World History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Ali Massoud Ansari is professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. He is the founder of the Institute of Iranian Studies.

Reviews

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent analysis of Iranian-American relations. Ali Ansari depicts the difficulties that the United States and Iran has in dealing with each other.

[Raghdan fawakhiri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ali Ansari's historical background and social-psychoanalysis is beyond reproach. But the book has nothing to do with "confronting" Iran. Not even with "understanding" Iran!!
The take-away is that Iran has historical grievances and a very fragile national pride that cannot get over these grievances, and the author recommends that the West, and the rest of the world for that matter, should "baby-cuddle" this Iranian wounded psyche.
Iranian murders in Buenos Aires and Beirut, Paris and Berlin, should be assessed as temper tantrums rather than terrorist attacks.
Iranian aggression against its weaker neighbors should be understood as "logical" imperial behavior, that the West should identify with, rather than "confront" on the basis of: two wrongs don't make right.
This Scottish-Iranian author opines that any mistakes Iran does are justified by the historical backdrop, even if mythical. This is a smug opinion that absolves Iran from wrong doing, present or future, since the past cannot, now, be changed. I think this is far more Iranian, than it is Scottish.
While I applaud the patriotic spirit of many "Westernized" Iranian writers, Like Ali Ansari here, and Vali Nasr; I cannot avoid the fact that this spirit ends up clouding their critical analysis, and perverts their thinking into propaganda for the Islamic Republic.

[Ahsan Butt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have translated this book from English into Urdu for Tayyab Publishers, Urdu Bazar, Lahore, Pakistan. The title of Urdu translation is Iran Amreeka Tasadum ایران امریکا تصادم.

[Pouria Jafarikia · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read as an into into Iranian-American relations

[Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief overview of U.S.-Iranian relations since the mid-19th century, with a focus on the coup in 1953 and Revolution of 1979, and the effects of each on Iranian perceptions of the U.S. and vice-versa.

This is an excellent introduction to U.S.-Iranian relations for anyone who is looking to understand today's events in their historical context without having to devote a full semester to its study. To that end, some detail is sacrificed. For brevity, Ansari spends very little time on Persia's/Iran's relationships with other countries. Discussion of British and Russian imperial activities are mercifully limited to those treaties, business relationships, and political meddling that directly influenced (or may have directly influenced) the way subsequent Iranian governments viewed U.S. activities.

Ansari writes much better than his editor edits, and I tripped over nearly a dozen silly grammatical errors and typos that might have resulted from the publisher's desire to rush this book into print while it was most relevant.

I didn't know much about Iran outside of a very brief study of Persian, and this book influenced my understanding of Iran in a similar way that my attitudes toward the Arabic world changed after I first learned about the Balfour Declaration. All in all, good stuff.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief perspective on US-Iranian relations from the perspective a seemingly neutral observer. As someone with much interest but little knowledge in foreign policy, I thought this book provided great insight into the challenges faced and follies committed by both sides. More generally, the book gave me a greater appreciation for the factors that must align for effective diplomacy to take place between two nations (e.g. a well-educated and well-intentioned corps of diplomats, a political faction whose interests align with the interests of diplomacy, a neutral press, etc.). Overall, I found this book both engaging and enlightening.

[Judith Bello · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent discussion of how we got to where we are with Iran. Also a discussion of Iranian internal politics and the way their nascent democracy functions. What can we do to improve the relationship. I gained a whole new understanding of the Iranian people and political context from this book. Very enllightening.

[Ned Conway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great contemporary book on Iran that brings the reader from the time of the Shah to the 1979 revolution to present day. Focus is on US-Iran relations. Very readable but also informative--written by one of the leading scholars on Iran, Ali Ansari. Makes a good case for both the US and Iran significantly misinterpreting/perceiving each other.

[nooshisooshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough analysis on modern US Iran relations and Iran's relationship with other world powers. Ansari is a known scholar on the subject and weaves many key events/inactions to explain the current situation with Iran.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, one of best and balanced books on US-Iran relations I've read.