It is easy to forget, given the oppositional dynamic between Iran and the United States of the last 50 years, that these two countries once shared productive partnership. Tracing US-Iran relations over two turbulent centuries, Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet considers when and how this relationship went awry. With careful attention to social and cultural as well as diplomatic developments, Kashani-Sabet shows that the rift did not originate in flashpoints of crisis, like the 1953 coup or the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but was instead long in the making. Drawing from a wealth of English and Persian-language sources, many of which were previously unavailable or unacknowledged, this book considers the relationship from the vantage point of Iranian society and the experiences of an evolving Iran that strived to accommodate American and great power politics. Following these two nations through wars, decolonization, and revolution, Kashani-Sabet presents an invaluable history of a diplomatic rivalry that informs geopolitics to this day.

It is easy to forget, given the oppositional dynamic between Iran and the United States of the last 50 years, that these two countries once shared productive partnership. Tracing US-Iran relations over two turbulent centuries, Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet considers when and how this relationship went awry. With careful attention to social and cultural as well as diplomatic developments, Kashani-Sabet shows that the rift did not originate in flashpoints of crisis, like the 1953 coup or the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but was instead long in the making. Drawing from a wealth of English and Persian-language sources, many of which were previously unavailable or unacknowledged, this book considers the relationship from the vantage point of Iranian society and the experiences of an evolving Iran that strived to accommodate American and great power politics. Following these two nations through wars, decolonization, and revolution, Kashani-Sabet presents an invaluable history of a diplomatic rivalry that informs geopolitics to this day.

A group of American college students volunteering in Afghanistan are ambushed and taken hostage by militants. Acting instinctively to save his classmates, Sam Richards finds his courage, grit, and purpose in life going forward: to level the playing field for the oppressed. Khalid Ali joined a group of insurgents to fight for his ideals. But when Sam Richards kills his brother during their ambush, the fight becomes personal. First as a Navy Seal and then leading his own team of independent operatives, Sam pursues his fight for justice around the globe. Throughout the years, Sam's unflappable wife is instrumental in supporting him both mentally and spiritually every step of the way, helping Sam stay grounded and true to his moral compass. But always circling him is Khalid, bitter and more determined than ever. And when Khalid lays plans to attack on United States soil, he and Sam find themselves on a collision course-from which there can only be one survivor.