Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S., and the Twisted Path to Confrontation

by Barbara Slavin

In Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies , Barbara Slavin untangles the love-hate relationship between Iran and the United States that has brought the two countries to the brink of war. Slavin reveals that relations between Washington and Tehran have been riddled with contradictions for decades and details missed opportunities for reconciliation under both the Clinton and Bush administrations, including diplomatic rebuffs to Iran in Bush's first term based on the mistaken belief that the U.S. invasion of Iraq would weaken Iran's Islamic government. On e of the few reporters to interview high-profile Iranian officials, including Iran's current and last two presidents, Slavin describes all the key constituencies in Iran society from the clerics, to the Revolutionary Guards, to reformers and Iranian youth. She unveils Iran and shows it to be a country that both adores and fears the United States. Despite government propaganda that portrays the U.S. as the "Great Satan," many Iranians have come to idolize staples of American pop culture while holding on to their own traditions. The United States, on the other hand, has demonized Iran as a member of an "axis of evil" that supports terrorists and represses its own people who, in the words of U.S. officials, "deserve better." As Iran moves toward becoming a nuclear power, Slavin believes that the power brokers in Washington may be suffering from the same lack of understanding and foresight that led the U.S. into prolonged warfare in Iraq. Distrustful of each other's intentions yet longing at some level to reconcile, neither Tehran nor Washington knows how this story will end. Anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of this pivotal international relationship will find Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies a crucial and compelling read.

Genres: Iran, Nonfiction, Politics, International Relations

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2007

Reviews

[Catherine]

A clever woman with more first-hand knowledge on U.S.-Iranian relations than most writes a clever book on what is truly a twisted relationship between two equally arrogant countries (even if not equal in other ways). I can't wait to see more from Slavin and her friends.

[David]

I heard Slavin at a book signing years ago and she knows her stuff. This was a very informative book. Much has changed over the years, but Western animosity toward Iran and Iranian suspicious of the West has not. Everything else operates within these parameters.

[Wilmer Rezvani]

One of the best books on the wrought relationship between the United States and Iran. Connects the dots -from friendship to enmity- in a easy to follow manner.

[Evin Ashley]

Excellent book; I loved how she compared the US and Iran to a married couple going through a divorce. People, politicians and governments are often more emotional than they want to admit.

I deducted a star because she called Mossadegh weird, and thus probably alienated half the audience this book could have influenced - Iranians.

"Still, the Internet remained a safety valve for young people yearning for connections with each other and the outside world." (p.133) - I remember this very well; gaining Internet access in Saudi Arabia. Whatever the country or society, the Internet, and other tools which promote transparency and freedom, are the impulse of humanity.