For over a quarter century, Iran has been one of America's chief nemeses. Ever since Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Shah in 1979, the relationship between the two nations has been antagonistic: revolutionary guards chanting against the Great Satan, Bush fulminating against the Axis of Evil, Iranian support for Hezbollah, and President Ahmadinejad blaming the U.S. for the world's ills. The unending war of words suggests an intractable divide between Iran and the West, one that may very well lead to a shooting war in the near future. But as Ray Takeyh shows in this accessible and authoritative history of Iran's relations with the world since the revolution, behind the famous personalities and extremist slogans is a nation that is far more pragmatic--and complex--than many in the West have been led to believe.

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Introduction -- pt. I. The revolutionary years -- Khomeini's ideology and Iran's grand strategy -- Relations with the "Great Satan" -- Turmoil in the Levant: Iran, Israel, and the politics of the Arab East -- Iran-Iraq war -- pt. II. The rise of pragmatism and the new priorities -- Pragmatic restraint: Iranian politics during the Rafsanjani era -- Reconciliaiton diplomacy and its limits -- The Satans -- pt. III. The age of reform -- The odyssey of the reform movement -- September 11 and the politics of fear, hope, and necessity -- pt. IV. Hegemony at last? -- The rise of the new right -- The Ahmadinejad era.