'A first-rate study that not only goes far in explaining the key events of the last decade but also implicitly substantiates the classic Crane Brinton analysis.'Bernard Weiss, History: Review of New Books

Studie over de rol van de islamitisch-marxistische groepering in de Iraanse revolutie

The Mojahedin Khalq Organization is an Iranian political party that helped Khomeini's religious sect in Iran bring about the Islamic revolution of 1979 after being at the forefront of opposition to the rule of the Shah. However, as the revolution got underway, the Mojahedin, which used some elements of Mao Tse Tung's political and warfare philosophy, were sidelined by the religious clerics and were expelled from the political arena. They responded by attacking the dominant polity through democratic means (such as political demonstrations, increasing the role of women, etc.). Later, through armed resistance via Iraq, the Mojahedin became the most significant opposition powerbase to the current regime of Iran. The author details the Organization's relations with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, European host nations, Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi military, and the end of war (1980-1988) negotiations between Iran and Iraq. Towards the end of its major activities, the Organizati

In Revolutionary Iran, Michael Axworthy offers a richly textured and authoritative history of Iran from the 1979 revolution to the present.

Comments on Study by Senior Former US Officials: Ambassador Bloomfield’s objective and thorough review of the history of the [MEK] since the early 70’s is a study that needs to be read by all. His work will be particularly useful to those in our administration charged with developing policy that is fair and consistent with the facts. --Former National Security Advisor General James L. Jones [This] unbiased review of the MEK’s history and goals…is long overdue, and a serious read for national security leaders developing regional and international policy on the MEK after its de-listing. --Former US Coordinator for Counterterrorism LTG Dell L. Dailey Ambassador Bloomfield’s analysis provides the most accurate assessment publicly available for understanding this long-maligned organization [the MEK], placing it in its proper local and historical context in pre- and post-revolutionary Iran. --Former State Department Director of Policy Planning and Special Envoy Ambassador Mitchell Reiss During my time as the Commander in Iraq from 2004-2007, my intelligence analysts struggled to reconcile reports about the MEK's past with reports from our leaders at Camp Ashraf on their daily interactions with the MEK. We would have welcomed this detailed look at their history. --Former US Army Chief of Staff General George W. Casey, Jr. This study portrays – devastatingly – how bureaucratic commitment to a point of view…can drive some within that bureaucracy to fight the impingement of inconvenient reality on their policy-driven view of the world. --Former US Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey Ambassador Linc Bloomfield’s account is tough but fair in setting the record straight….This report will benefit the policy process in Washington as the US seeks more effective approaches to avoiding a nuclear-armed Iran. Former Governor of New Mexico, Member of Congress and --US Ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson

"Growing up in the aftermath of the 1953 CIA coup in Iran exposed the young Masoud Banisadr to extremes of wealth and poverty, loyalty and betrayal. Years later in the United Kingdom, where Banisadr had gone to do postgraduate study, he decided to join the Iranian Mojahedin, an organization fighting to dislodge the regime that took power following the 1979 revolution." "Torn between two loves - his family and the cause - Masoud gave up normal life to pursue the revolution. But it wasn't long before the dream turned sour. The Mojahedin's revolutionary fervour demanded more than total sacrifice: he was pressured to divorce his beloved wife, alienate himself from his family and career, and remain separated for over a decade from his children." "Years later, following his defection from the organization, Masoud decides to tell his story."--Jacket.

3 The Islamic Republic

The author argues that the Ayatollah Khomeini and his Islamic movement should be seen as a form of Third World political populism - a radical but pragmatic middle-class movement that strives to enter, rather than reject, the modern age.

A succinct and highly readable narrative of modern Iran from the mid-nineteenth century to the present.