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Over the past thirty years, while the United States has turned either a blind or dismissive eye, Iran has emerged as a nation every bit as capable of altering America’s destiny as traditional superpowers Russia and China. Indeed, one of this book’s central arguments is that, in some ways, Iran’s grip on America’s future is even tighter.
As ex–CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows, Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting Americans’ false perceptions of what Iran is—by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations.
The reality is much more frightening—and yet contained in the potential catastrophe is an implicit political response that, if we’re bold enough to adopt it, could avert disaster.
Baer’s on-the-ground sleuthing and interviews with key Middle East players—everyone from an Iranian ayatollah to the king of Bahrain to the head of Israel’s internal security—paint a picture of the centuries-old Shia nation that is starkly the opposite of the one normally drawn. For example, Iran’s hate-spouting President Ahmadinejad is by no means the true spokesman for Iranian foreign policy, nor is Iran making it the highest priority to become a nuclear player.
Even so, Baer has discovered that Iran is currently engaged in a soft takeover of the Middle East, that the proxy method of war-making and co-option it perfected with Hezbollah in Lebanon is being exported throughout the region, that Iran now controls a significant portion of Iraq, that it is extending its influence over Jordan and Egypt, that the Arab Emirates and other Gulf States are being pulled into its sphere, and that it will shortly have a firm hold on the world’s oil spigot.
By mixing anecdotes with information gleaned from clandestine sources, Baer superbly demonstrates that Iran, far from being a wild-eyed rogue state, is a rational actor—one skilled in the game of nations and so effective at thwarting perceived Western colonialism that even rival Sunnis relish fighting under its banner.
For U.S. policy makers, the choices have narrowed: either cede the world’s most important energy corridors to a nation that can match us militarily with its asymmetric capabilities (which include the use of suicide bombers)—or deal with the devil we know. We might just find that in allying with Iran, we’ll have increased not just our own security but that of all Middle East nations.The alternative—to continue goading Iran into establishing hegemony over the Muslim world—is too chilling to contemplate.
From the Hardcover edition.
In The Name of Iran
| Customer Rating:   | 1.This author on prologue section page 1 claimed that in 1978 he was 24 years old young man and was on his way to India, as he had short stop in Iran, Tehran during Marshall laws. This author alleged that "the kamikaze taxi driver who drove me into Tehran from the airport that night taught me my first lesson: Iranians can't drive. The way he swoop and darted between the army patrols, I was convinced he was trying to draw fire. And was it legal to drive down the sidewalk to get around traffic?" Input: This sidewalk needed to be wide enough as well as accessible for a moving vehicle to drive on it because there is a big gap between road and sidewalk, and the author's statement would be impossible to do so since there is no such a sidewalk in Iran.
2.This author on page 55 alleged that "in October 2000, Ayatollah Khamenei, Ayatollah Khomeini's successor as supreme leader-the only real executive power in Iran-made it clear what the victory in Lebanon meant for Iran. It was during a secret address to Iran's National Security Council. After the usual long preamble, larded with quotations from the Koran, Khamenei put both hands on the conference table." Input: Since he is an intelligent officer, he is required due to nature of his work to be detail orient, and should know that Khamenei's right hand is immobile. As a result, there are cloud of doubts looming on the book as how truthful is this author with his readers.
This author contradicts himself on major points as follow.
1.This author on page 10 asserted that "and it wasn't as if the Iranian government could not close down the opium dens if it wanted to. Iran is a police state. Every day I drove around Tehran, or walked around the streets and bazaars, I was stopped and my papers checked." On page 77 this author claimed that "Iran is not a totalitarian state run by "Islamofascists" who believe they're in some quixotic war with the West." Input: Police state and totalitarian state shared same meaning as a state controls every fabric of a society, as this author experienced in Iran under rule of the mullah in Iran.
2.This author on page 207 claimed that "since 9/11, without any evidence, these people have tried to make the case that Muslims intend to infiltrate the United States, bring down from inside, and convert us to Islam." On page 230-231 this author was talking with Muhammad British-Pakistani born who made a remark about 7/7 which was the way to go and "accept Allah's law," he said. "End of story. Accept Allah's law and I think you'll have a peaceful life." In other words, we either convert to Islam or die." Input: There is a reality that Muslims are planning to convert Western nations to Islam or they have to die.
Author's theory frame work for the cleric regime in Iran:
1.This author was working on theory of green belt or green crescent which was orchestra by former democrat president Jimmy Carter to contain communism in the region. As this author claimed that the cleric regime in Iran has infiltrated in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq and the regime in Iran was in charge of the situation in the region. Also, Turkey was under spill of the regime too but not as strongly as other region. As a result, the cleric regime in Iran is a superpower. This author lacked understanding the term superpower which means a state is in leading position in the international system and has ability to influence on international events. Current regime in Iran is not able to control international event, and has been struggling about its nuclear programs. The regime in Iran is not a great power either which would have economic, military, diplomatic and cultural strength. The current regime in Iran is a rouge state, which is an authoritarian regime, absent of human rights, and seeking weapon of mass destruction.
2.This author was claiming that the regime in Iran is no longer relying on terrorism to advance its interest. However, the cleric regime has been targeting Iranian dissidents and have been murdering them around the world.
3.This author on page 15 claimed that the US do not understand the regime in Iran because of Iranian dissidents are lobbying the White House and the White House does not have clear understanding of Iran. According to the record, so far element of the cleric regime on individual base or as a council like National Iranian American Council had opportunity to meet senior staffs and elected politicians, and to mislead the White House and not Iranian dissidents.
4.This author is working on fear tactic that price of oil on rise and on page 198 this author says it is in best interest of the US to negotiate with the regime in Iran. However, he does not provide any information or strategy how to negotiate with the regime in Iran.
Author was bias toward Iran:
1.On page 9, this author claimed that there was no moral police officers in Iran. However, the regime has moral police officers who are enforcing Islamic dress code in Iran.
2.On page 104, this author wrote "the Iranians understand perfectly that the only reason we care about that miserable body of water called the Persian Gulf." Input: This author is hostile toward Iranian identity.
3.This author claimed that during Iran-Iraq War youths were not given keys to paradise and asked to rush at enemy front and die. The key was a symbol of martyrdom. However, the regime gave the youth the keys and told them that these were keys to paradise.
Validity of information:
This author used, on page 143, statics about unemployment rate in Iran, and other data that it was unclear where the numbers were extracted from. Last, he alleged when in 1700's England's warship moved to Persian Gulf, this body of water was called Gulf and not Persian Gulf. The above claim was not reference from any source of information.
The bottom line, this book does not have any kind of academic merit, and it tries to claim that the regime in Iran is a superpower and the US needs to negotiate and accept the regime in Tehran as a power. However, this author's theory lacks understanding proper meaning of political terms that the regime in Iran is a rouge state and not a superpower.
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Fundamentally Flawed
| Customer Rating: | Baer raises a few interesting points here, but the logic and over-the-top conclusions make the book a fatally flawed one. While Iran and it's proxies have adroitly exploited the mistakes of their adversaries, you can't bank or build an empire on waiting for your enemies to blunder.
The US stumbled badly in invading Iraq and in doing so handed a great deal gain to Iran. That Iran took what was handed to them is hardly indicative of some type of Iranian political genius. Similarly, Baer repeatedly sites Hezbollah "victories" over Israel as the basis for a number of his arguments. While the conflicts in question (Israel quitting Lebanon after 18 years of occupation and the 2006 war) may constitute victories in an Arab/Muslim world that has known few, by any objective standard, neither "victory" was anything to write home about. Like the US invasion of Iraq, both spoke more about Israeli blundering than Iranian competence.
To his credit, Baer concedes that Iran is willing and able to start blowing up shopping malls if and when needed. He then offers the bizarre consolation that they would only use terror for specific political ends. Unlike the Sunnis, whom he pronounces "deranged", the Iranian Shia are quite rational. Thanks for the clarification. If I get blown to shreds at Ikea, it will be good to know it was a calculated political murder and not just some crazy guys.
As for his suggestion that we sack the King of Jordan, he doesn't provide any details or say who is going to serve the eviction notice.
Iran has collected the spoils of US and Israeli bungling. That doesn't make them an empire or even particularly clever. |
Understanding Other Cultures
| Customer Rating: | | This is an excellent book. It gives insight as to why certain people that we really don't understand act the way they do. |
Almost Great
| Customer Rating: | First let me say that I was really excited when I saw that Baer was writing on Iran. I was not dissapointed either. The problem is he seems to be too much in Iran's camp. One outright falsehood is his complete disregard for Al-Sistani: the Iraq shia religious leader, now is he as powerful as Iran? No, but he (according to Iraqis I have talked to while being stationed there) is not just sitting in his house in Najaf waiting to be taken out as Mr. Baer implies: according to my Iraq friends Maliki seeks him out.
Now about the negotiations, I agree we should talk to and even negotiate with Iran, but is it much better that they do terrorism for realist purposes as opposed to the Takfiri way of terrorism for pure chaos sake? And who in there right mind thinks the Shia could hold Saudia Arabia? Why because Hezbollah fought the Israelis? That seems to be his rationale, I know he knows the Shia are less than 20% of the Muslim population. Still I would recommend this book as something new and original to any one interested in foreign affairs.
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Very Important for America to consider
| Customer Rating: | | This guy knows what he is talking about and the books well written. I was fortunate to catch Robert Baer's interview with Terry Gross on NPR's Fresh Air" October 2 episode (available for download/podcast) and was astonished. I consider myself somewhere in the middle or higher than average as far as being informed about what goes on in this world, but found that interview astonishing!. I immediately had to run out and get the book. I've now read all three, and am better informed about what is REALLY going on in this country and the world- to the point of nausea, sometimes. Shame on us, shame on them. Our country's leaders have really let us down over the years. It's not too much to expect our leaders, and the leaders of this world, to act with honesty and integrety- rather than acting out of corrupted self-interest. Thank you, Mr. Baer, for sharing your experiences and insight. It's time for things to change- way past time. |
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