Iran presents one of the most significant foreign policy challenges for America and the West, yet very little is known about what the country鈥檚 goals really are. Vali Nasr examines Iran鈥檚 political history in new ways to explain its actions and ambitions on the world stage, showing how, behind the veneer of theocracy and Islamic ideology, today鈥檚 Iran is pursuing a grand strategy aimed at securing the country internally and asserting its place in the region and the world.
Drawing on memoirs, oral histories, and original in-depth interviews with Iranian decision makers, Nasr brings to light facts and events in Iran鈥檚 political history that have been overlooked until now. He traces the roots of Iran鈥檚 strategic outlook to its experiences over the past four decades of war with Iraq in the 1980s and the subsequent American containment of Iran, invasion of Iraq in 2003, and posture toward Iran thereafter. Nasr reveals how these experiences have shaped a geopolitical outlook driven by pervasive fear of America and its plans for the Middle East.
Challenging the notion that Iran鈥檚 foreign policy simply reflects its revolutionary values or theocratic government, Iran鈥檚 Grand Strategy provides invaluable new insights into what Iran wants and why, explaining the country鈥檚 resistance to the United States, its nuclear ambitions, and its pursuit of influence and proxies across the Middle East.
Vali Nasr is the Majid Khadduri Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. His books include The Dispensable Nation: American Foreign Policy in Retreat, The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future, and (with Ali Gheissari) Democracy in Iran: History and the Quest for Liberty. His writing has appeared in leading publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Foreign Affairs.
“A masterful account of Iran’s grand strategy from the revolution through to the present day. Vali Nasr dispels the notion that Iran is motivated primarily by ideology or theology and instead writes a sophisticated account of a state that has developed a grand strategy based on the legacy of colonialism and the drive for independence and security. Nasr makes a compelling case that places Iran’s dedication to resisting US power over several decades in this broader framework.”—Leslie Vinjamuri, SOAS University of London
“Vali Nasr’s pathbreaking book provides a history of the Islamic Republic from the inside out, taking readers into the mental framework of Iran’s leaders as they navigate one crisis after another. Even experts will be startled by what Nasr reveals in this essential blueprint for understanding Iran.”—Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Loom of Time: Between Empire and Anarchy, from the Mediterranean to China
“An indispensable analysis of Iranian grand strategy under the ayatollahs. Nasr shows how regional strategic considerations decide the outcome of Iranian policy and how concerned the leaders are with subversion at home.”—Odd Arne Westad, author of The Cold War: A World History
