For over a quarter-century, Iran has been one of America's chief nemeses. But as Ray Takeyh shows in this accessible and authoritative history of Iran's relations with the world since the revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans is a nation that is far more pragmatic—and complex—than many in the West have been led to believe.

A groundbreaking book that reveals how the underappreciated domestic political rivalries within Iran serve to explain the country's behavior on the world stage. A leading expert explains why we fail to understand Iran and offers a new strategy for redefining this crucial relationship.

Ray Takeyh explains how Iranian president Rouhani's diplomatic agenda shapes and is shaped by his relationship with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Ray Takeyh analyzses a recent op-ed in Iran's newspaper Bahar and President Rouhani's leadership team and implications for country's nuclear program.

According to Ray Takeyh, the crisis in Syria and the impact of international response "will be felt more in Israel than in Iran."

"U.S. diplomats should include discussions of human rights in all of their encounters with Iranian officials," writes Ray Takeyh.

"The Islamic Republic may not be the radical actor it was in the 1980s, but neither is it a state ruled by modest men who happen to drape themselves in clerical garb," writes Ray Takeyh

Ray Takeyh examines the newly instated President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani.

Ray Takeyh examines Hassan Rouhani's 2011 memoir for insight into his presidency.

Ray Takeyh weighs the prospects for change in Iran under the newly elected President Hassan Rowhani.

Iranians' choice of Hassan Rowhani as president stirs hope he will moderate domestic and foreign policy but other regime sectors could interfere, says CFR's Ray Takeyh.

A conservative candidate seems likely to win Iran's presidential election this week, but the reform movement may yet be energized by the remaining moderate contender, says CFR's Ray Takeyh.

Ray Takeyh debunks the myth that the CIA was responsible for Mossadeq's demise and the 1953 Iranian coup.

Ray Takeyh asks, "after nearly a decade of delusory diplomacy, it may be time to ask: What if Iran's supreme leader actually means what he says?"

The United States has long struggled with how to manage Iran's nuclear ambitions. Any U.S. military option in Iran is likely to be dynamic, depending on its objectives.

Read full answer

If the United States chooses to intervene in Syria, "there is no easy solution or middle ground," according to Ray Takeyh.

Ray Takeyh writes about Iran's upcoming election.

Ray Takeyh writes about three instances in which the United States reversed failed policy to move to success.

Ray Takeyh examines examples of foreign policy failures turned success, including "the shift in U.S. containment policy during the early stages of the Truman presidency; the changed U.S. approach to the Vietnam War after Richard Nixon's 1968 election; and George W. Bush's surge in Iraq."

In his testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, Ray Takeyh discusses Iran's political history and how it influences the Islamic Republic's commitment to its nuclear program and radical ties.

Ray Takeyh warns that the West is falling into a diplomacy trap set by Iranian clerics regarding the nuclear Non-Prolifieration Treaty (NPT).

Since the discovery of illicit Iranian nuclear facilities in 2002, the United States has sought to mobilize an international coalition to address the Iranian nuclear challenge through various coercions and incentives. UN member states agree that Iran is entitled to a civilian nuclear program for purposes of energy generation, but they require assurances that such a program is not going to be misused for military purposes.

Read full answer