by Robert Baer
First published 2008
Former CIA operative Robert Baer argues that Iran has quietly become a superpower capable of reshaping America's future. While the United States has dismissed or ignored Iran for thirty years, the country has strategically positioned itself among elite nations by exploiting American misconceptions. Baer conducted extensive fieldwork and interviews with Middle Eastern leaders, from Iranian ayatollahs to the king of Bahrain to Israel's security chief. He demonstrates that Iran is not the chaotic theocracy Americans imagine but a rational actor executing a sophisticated regional takeover. The country has perfected proxy warfare through Hezbollah and now exports this model across the Middle East. Iran controls significant portions of Iraq, extends influence over Jordan and Egypt, and pulls Gulf States into its orbit. Baer reveals that President Ahmadinejad does not drive foreign policy and nuclear ambitions are not Iran's top priority. Instead, Iran focuses on gaining control over global energy corridors through asymmetric military capabilities. Baer presents American policymakers with two stark choices: cede the world's most vital energy routes to Iran or negotiate an alliance with this emerging power.
Genres: history, international-relations, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, geopolitical-intrigue
Setting: America, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan
Period: 21st Century
279 pages · Hardcover · Crown