by Kim Ghattas
First published 2020
Kim Ghattas examines the modern Middle East through the lens of the Saudi-Iranian rivalry that emerged from the 1979 Iranian revolution. She argues that this competition between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran fundamentally reshaped the region's culture, identity, and collective memory over four decades. Ghattas follows ordinary people caught in this geopolitical struggle, showing how their lives changed as these former allies became bitter enemies. Before 1979, both nations cooperated against Soviet communism as part of American strategy. After the revolution, they weaponized religion to compete for regional dominance. This religious competition sparked culture wars that contributed to major events including the 1991 Iraq invasion, the September 11 attacks, and ISIS's emergence. The book demonstrates how Saudi Arabia and Iran spread religious conservatism from Egypt to Pakistan, creating division and unrest across the Muslim world. Ghattas offers readers a new framework for understanding Middle Eastern politics by revealing how a single year transformed regional dynamics and affected millions of lives.
Genres: history, politics, religion, non-fiction, 21st-century, middle-east
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, historical-narrative
Setting: Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Iran
Period: 1979, 1991, 21st Century
400 pages · Hardcover · Henry Holt and Co.