Who really rules Iran today? How are decisions made in a system that appears so chaotic? Is the current political structure doomed to conflict? This study of one of the most secretive regimes in the contemporary world traces the historical, religious, cultural, and political roots of the Khomeinist revolution and analyzes the way it has grown into a pseudo-religious ideology over the past three decades. Journalist Taheri dissects a regime that has hijacked a nation of seventy million people and mobilizedits resources for global "holy war" against the United States and its allies. He looks into the actual links between the Islamic Republic and terrorist networks; the reality of the Iranian nuclear program; the Islamic Republic's war-making capabilities and strategies; and the origins of the three Khomeinist phobias--women, Jews, and the United States. He also provides a set of imaginative suggestions for more effective ways of dealing with Iran.--From publisher description.

The world’s number one power The haven of jihad The focus of the universe The triple oxymoron Democracy as enemy Iran and anti-Iran Unwelcome faith A strange beast The feeble ones The prophet and women The eternal conspirator Esther and the king The great satan Five days in August A universal ideology Sunrise power against sunset power Crazy Eddie and Martyr Hussein West stricken, Arab stricken State or revolution Six centers of power Six rival centers of power Power points in a no-man’s land The nail of the Imam We can! A case of national schizophrenia Pre-emptive war or pre-emptive surrender? Conditions for regime change Repression and resistance The ethnic time bomb A heaving volcano