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Iran, L'irrésistible Ascension (2008)

by Robert Baer(Favorite Author)

3.83 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

270963077 (ISBN13: 9782709630771)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

J.-C. Lattès

review 1: Excellent book about the middle east, and in particular, Iran. Talks about the growth of Iran's power, and how our failures in Iraq have strengthened Iran into the new super power of the east. However, despite the media's portrayal of Iran as a bunch of crazy terrorists, the truth is that Iran is one of the more moderate countries in the middle east (especially when compared to the dictatorial regimes that are our official allies, like Saudi Arabia). Iran is not like the rest of the middle east, for two main reasons. One is that it is not Arab, and does not have the same historical hate of Europeans. Two is that Iran is Shia, and Shia are not terrorists (they're pretty much all Sunni). Overall conclusion is that we would be better off trying to get along with Iran than fig... morehting it. The conflict seems to be though, that Iran wants to assert itself as a superpower; we want their respect. Therefore, neither party wants to be seen as subordinate. Note: I might be confusing some of the conclusions about Iran with The Ayatollah Begs to Differ, since I read both books a while ago.
review 2: Raises alot of crucial points to ponder about the real face of Iran and why we shouldn't underestimate their military and diplomatic capabilities. However, Baer's case appears to be a bit fallacious and self-defeating in some places as he seems prone to state incorrect facts and contradicting assertions. Especially those regarding Islam and terrorism and why Muslim terrorists do what they do. He's also even bungled to some extent when educating us about the history of Iran and how its political hierarchy worked during Mossadegh's tenure as Prime Minister during the 50's. While Mossadegh was busy rallying the country to fight for their own oil, the Shah was essentially powerless to do anything about it and he couldn't even dismiss the Prime Minister without angering the people to the point where they would revolt against him...which, ironically, they ended up doing 25 years later.In spite of these setbacks, the overall case cannot, and should not, be denied or overlooked. less

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