"Over the years, there have been numerous efforts to locate the roots of the Islamic Republic's intentions and motivations in the distinctiveness of its political culture and history. A rich and ancient nation, Iran has always beguiled outsiders. This complexity, combined with America's lack of access to Iran since 1979, has produced a peculiar view of the Islamic Republic, a view defined by mystique and a superficial reading that places too much emphasis on Iran's 'abnormal' and 'exceptional' characteristics. This document is a short, accessible guide intended to help U.S. policymakers understand the Islamic Republic. It offers a set of short analytic observations about the processes, institutions, networks, and actors that define Iran's politics, strategy, economic policy, and diplomacy. From these, it sets out an argument for appreciating the challenges and fundamentals of negotiating with Iran."--Summary, p. ix.

"The research described in this report was sponsored by the Smith Richardson Foundation and was conducted under the auspices of the International Security and Defense Policy Center within the RAND National Security Research Divison (NSRD)."--Verso of t.p.

Introduction -- Features of the Iranian system -- Conclusion: Iran is unlike other countries but hardly beyond understanding -- Appendixes: A. Workshop agenda -- B. Workshop papers -- Decisionmaking for national security: the nuclear case / Shahram Chubin -- Negotiating with Iran: a case study / James Dobbins -- Iran's defense establishment / Anoush Ehteshami -- Negotiating with Iran / Jerrold D. Green -- Understanding Ayatollah Khameini: the leader's thoughts on Israel, the U.S., and the nuclear program / Karim Sadjadpour -- The politics of factionalism in Iran / Koichiro Tanaka -- Iran in the Arab spere: debating legitimacy, sovereignty, and regional order / Fred Wehrey -- Iran's oil sector: questions, puzzles, explanations / Charles Wolf, Jr. -- C. Biographies of workshop participants.