STRUGGLE FOR IRAN, THE

Who rules Iran, and how secure is their grip on a young and restless society? How should the world respond to allegations that the Islamic Republic is building nuclear weapons and supporting terrorists? Christopher de Bellaigue traces Iran’s political upheavals since the early 1990s, from the failures of the reformist efforts led by former President Mohammad Khatami to the election of the hard-line Islamist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as the ongoing role of the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Bellaigue pays particular attention to the motivations behind Iran’s nuclear program, the likelihood that the West will succeed in halting it, and how Iranians might respond to a US military strike. He also portrays the complexities of Iranian society and the prospects for liberalization and democratization as a nation composed predominantly of young people confronts the restrictions of Islamic rule and the lure of the West. Beyond the headlines, Bellaigue explores Iran’s art and literature. He learns why the thirteenth-century mystical poet Rumi still matters so much to Iranians. And he writes of both the art of ancient Persia and the paradoxes of an exhibition of modern art in Tehran. Bellaigue’s shrewd political analysis and insightful reporting are an essential guide to a nation that is certain to be in the headlines for some time to come.