Internationally acclaimed Iranian journalist Naji has spent years interviewing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's friends, family, and colleagues to tell for the first time the true story of how he came to power.

This book offers a critical deconstruction of radicalism as a political category and through this analytical approach seeks to interpret and assess the presidencies of the former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. It contextualizes radicalism within a broader framework of Western-derived political categories, which are too frequently used to simplify the complexities of Iran's domestic political landscape, generally reducing any comprehensive and objective understanding of Iranian politics. Since the term radicalism is often misrepresented and misused in readings of contemporary Iran, this study examines several analogous Persian and English labels, exploring their different meanings, significances, and varied applications, in order to challenge any fixed and universal interpretations of radicalism as a concept. The political experience of Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has been widely perceived as a radical politician, provides an ideal case study in this regard, offering valuable insight into how best to frame and interpret radicalism in post-revolutionary Iran. This book will be of particular interest to both scholars and students of Iranian Studies, but also to more general readers who are broadly interested in Middle Eastern studies, political science, and comparative politics.

This collection of analyses on the unintended consequences of Iran's nuclear policy for its domestic and international relations is the first in a series of papers that will examine the impact of critical issues and developments on key countries in the Greater Middle East and on U.S. security interests. This inaugural paper focuses on the nuclearization of Iranian politics, society, and security. Three prominent scholars examine the emergence of an Iranian nuclear political strategy and its role in shaping domestic political discourse and international security policy.

A comprehensive but concise overview of Iran's politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. The volume chronicles U.S.-Iran relations under six American presidents and probes five options for dealing with Iran. Organized thematically, this book provides top-level briefings by 50 top experts on Iran (both Iranian and Western authors) and is a practical and accessible "go-to" resource for practitioners, policymakers, academics, and students, as well as a fascinating wealth of information for anyone interested in understanding Iran's pivotal role in world politics.

The military side of the war on terrorism, says Adam Garfinkle, is a necessary but not sufficient aspect of the solution. Weapons of mass destruction are activated by ideas of mass destruction, and these ideas arise from complex historical and social factors. A Practical Guide to Winning the War on Terrorism offers concrete steps for undermining the very notion that terrorism is a legitimate method of political struggle—and for changing the conditions that lead people to embrace it.

From the controversial expert who brought Iran's nuclear program to the attention of the world in 2002 comes a searing exposé of the inner workings and plans of Iran's mullahs. With access to dissident groups inside Iran, Alireza Jafarzadeh traces President Ahmadinejad's radical roots and involvement in terror attacks to his impact on Iran's weapons program. He reveals new details on Iran's meddling in Iraq and its broader goals for the future of the Middle East. This is the most authoritative account to date of the looming threat Iran poses to the United States and the Gulf region. Readers will learn for the first time: *President Ahmadinejad's radical past as a feared torturer of political prisoners and his zealous mission to deliver the regime its first nuclear bomb *The chilling trend of the military's increasing control of the nuclear program *How Ahmadinejad was handpicked by Iran's mullahs to help create an Islamic Republic in Iraq *The latest covert actions to bury nuclear facilities in tunnels *The story of the front companies Iran used to buy its nuclear technology undetected *The author's original and insightful policy options to end the Iranian threat