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 says Iran's rulers view possession of a nuclear bomb as a means to return to the international fold on their own terms.

Ray Takeyh and Suzanne Maloney say that despite decades of struggling under punitive financial measures, Iran has persisted with its objectionable policies, ranging from terrorism to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Ray Takeyh states, "Iran may have been able to project its influence in an Iraq beset by civil war, but Tehran increasingly is on the margins as Iraq reconstitutes its national institutions."

Post-Qaddafi Libya will face difficulties with rebel infighting, the anger of Qaddafi loyalists, and more, but the long-time dictator's death also creates an opening for a more peaceful country. CFR's Richard Haass, Ed Husain, and Ray Takeyh weigh Libya's prospects.

Ray Takeyh says that the reaction of Iran's opposition and its establishment figures to Washington's recent accusations that Tehran was involved in an assassination plot on U.S. soil suggests a more tenuous relationship between the Islamist regime and Iranian nationalism than generally thought.

In four decades of rule, Qaddafi chased doomed adventures that isolated his regime from Arabs and the world. Libyans now have a chance to recast their state and reintegrate with their region, says CFR's Ray Takeyh.

Ray Takeyh states, "The Islamic Republic has entered its post-authoritarian stage."

Kenneth M. Pollack and Ray Takeyh state, ""... it is time to appreciate that the only manner of inducing meaningful change in the Islamic Republic's behavior without the resort to war is to otherwise imperil its very existence."

Ray Takeyh says the Arab Spring has created a unique opportunity for the United States and Europe to achieve their maximalist objectives in the Middle East without resorting to force.

Ray Takeyh argues that despite economic sanctions and other attempts to curtail technological development in Iran, its nuclear program has grown in sophistication and capability over the past two decades.

In testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Ray Takeyh says that mutual antipathy to the presence of the Iranian opposition party Mujahidin-i Khalq in Iraq is the one issue that has brought Tehran and Baghdad together.

Suzanne Maloney and Ray Takeyh say Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is being sidelined by religious fundamentalists in Iran, and it's bad news for American officials seeking to halt Iran's nuclear program.

Upheaval in Iran's neighbor and ally Syria as well as power struggles at home create Iranian vulnerabilities the United States can exploit in a region pushing for democracy, says CFR's Ray Takeyh.

Ray Takeyh says the Middle East is moving toward a post-American era.

Osama bin Laden's death is a real and symbolic blow to al-Qaeda, and its stature in the Middle East is already diminished by the pro-democracy movements in the region, but the group remains lethal. Seven CFR experts discuss.

Bin Laden's death dealt a blow to al-Qaeda, but the events of this year have shown the Arab masses have emphatically rejected the terror group's ideology as they seek democratic reforms, writes CFR's Ray Takeyh.

Ray Takeyh argues that Libya has a chance to emerge from the Qaddafi regime as a moderate, unitary state.

Ray Takeyh says events happening outside of Libya are the more critical regional developments in the Arab world.

Ray Takeyh argues that the democratic movements in the Arab world offer the United States an opportunity to reclaim its values and redeem its interests in the Middle East.

U.S. supporters of a UN resolution aimed at protecting Libyan rebels should understand an entangling military commitment may now be underway, argues CFR's Ray Takeyh.