The Persian Puzzle

In his highly influential book The Threatening Storm, bestselling author Kenneth Pollack both informed and defined the national debate about Iraq. Now, in The Persian Puzzle, published to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Iran hostage crisis, he examines the behind-the-scenes story of the tumultuous relationship between Iran and the United States, and weighs options for the future. Here Pollack, a former CIA analyst and National Security Council official, brings his keen analysis and insider perspective to the long and ongoing clash between the United States and Iran, beginning with the fall of the shah and the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979. Pollack examines all the major events in U.S.-Iran relations–including the hostage crisis, the U.S. tilt toward Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, the Iran-Contra scandal, American-Iranian military tensions in 1987 and 1988, the covert Iranian war against U.S. interests in the Persian Gulf that culminated in the 1996 Khobar Towers terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia, and recent U.S.-Iran skirmishes over Afghanistan and Iraq. He explains the strategies and motives from American and Iranian perspectives and tells how each crisis colored the thinking of both countries’ leadership as they shaped and reshaped their policies over time. Pollack also describes efforts by moderates of various stripes to try to find some way past animosities to create a new dynamic in Iranian-American relations, only to find that when one side was ready for such a step, the other side fell short. With balanced tone and insight, Pollack explains how the United States and Iran reached this impasse; why this relationship is critical to regional, global, and U.S. interests; and what basic political choices are available as we deal with this important but deeply troubled country.

A foremost expert on Middle Eastern relations examines Iran's current nuclear potential while charting America's future course of action, recounting the prolonged clash between both nations to outline options for American policymakers. By the author of The Persian Puzzle.

V. 1. : Bringing together a broad range of important articles from Foreign Affairs and ForeignAffairs.com, Iran and the Bomb tells the story of Iran's quest for nuclear weapons and the outside world's struggle to respond. The arguments presented span every significant position on the political spectrum, and the authors include world-renowned experts from several disciplines, backgrounds, and countries, including Jahangir Amuzegar, Ehud Eiran, Richard Haass, Michael Ledeen, James Lindsay, Colin Kahl, Matthew Kroenig, Suzanne Maloney, Mohsen Milani, Ray Takeyh, Kenneth Waltz, and more. An introduction by Foreign Affairs Editor Gideon Rose sets the stage for the debates that follow. Iran and the Bomb contains everything needed to understand the crisis and develop an informed, independent opinion on what should be done about it.--Publisher's description.

The dramatic secret history of our undeclared thirty-year conflict with Iran, revealing newsbreaking episodes of covert and deadly operations that brought the two nations to the brink of open war For three decades, the United States and Iran have engaged in a secret war. It is a conflict that has never been acknowledged and a story that has never been told. This surreptitious war began with the Iranian revolution and simmers today inside Iraq and in the Persian Gulf. Fights rage in the shadows, between the CIA and its network of spies and Iran's intelligence agency. Battles are fought at sea with Iranians in small speedboats attacking Western oil tankers. This conflict has frustrated five American presidents, divided administrations, and repeatedly threatened to bring the two nations into open warfare. It is a story of shocking miscalculations, bitter debates, hidden casualties, boldness, and betrayal. A senior historian for the federal government with unparalleled access to senior officials and key documents of several U.S. administrations, Crist has spent more than ten years researching and writing The Twilight War, and he breaks new ground on virtually every page. Crist describes the series of secret negotiations between Iran and the United States after 9/11, culminating in Iran's proposal for a grand bargain for peace-which the Bush administration turned down. He documents the clandestine counterattack Iran launched after America's 2003 invasion of Iraq, in which thousands of soldiers disguised as reporters, tourists, pilgrims, and aid workers toiled to change the government in Baghdad and undercut American attempts to pacify the Iraqi insurgency. And he reveals in vivid detail for the first time a number of important stories of military and intelligence operations by both sides, both successes and failures, and their typically unexpected consequences. Much has changed in the world since 1979, but Iran and America remain each other's biggest national security nightmares. "The Iran problem" is a razor-sharp briar patch that has claimed its sixth presidential victim in Barack Obama and his administration. The Twilight War adds vital new depth to our understanding of this acute dilemma it is also a thrillingly engrossing read, animated by a healthy irony about human failings in the fog of not-quite war.

John Pitt, a 19-year-old drop out, has arrived in Isfahan. He has an idea he wants to be a hippie. Passing himself off as a graduate, he becomes a teacher of English. It is 1974 and Iran is changing, with the forces of religious conservatism and of liberal reform on a collision course. Amidst all this, Pitt falls madly and dangerously in love with Shirin, one of his students. A Good Place to Die tells the extraordinary story of what happens to a country in the grip of the mullahs and to a couple swept up in its history. It is a love story of the most tender and original kind, which describes the complications of a marriage between two very different cultures. It is also a compelling political thriller in which Pitt is drawn into the turbulent events in Iran that endanger both his marriage and his life.

Persian folklore has been handed down from generation to generation for centuries in an effort to understand the past and pass on valuable lessons. Mehry M. Reid remembers sitting next to her grandmother, as she relayed captivating stories adapted to express her own feelings, hopes, and desires. These stories, which her grandmother first heard from her own mother and grandmother, began Reid’s fascination with the Persian legends and folktales that she has selected and reinterpreted in Persian Legends. As Reid transports readers of all ages on an unforgettable journey through ancient Persia, she highlights an eclectic group of characters comprised of people, animals, and objects that trace historical events, share legends most favored in Persian culture, and offer tales that convey their meanings in simple, often humorous ways. Take a walk with Princess Mina in the rose garden; listen to the king’s storyteller; travel to the mountain of the forty virgins; discover the charm of the red diamond; and go to the crystal cave and drink from the wish fountain. Persian Legends: A Book of 101 Stories shares a memorable collection of legends and tales that provides a glimpse into Persian history, helps others appreciate ancient tales, and most importantly, preserves the legacy of folk literature for future generations.

Look, find, and connect with this book-and-puzzle set! Search the First Look and Find Book for hidden objects in 7 colorful scenes featuring Baby Einstein animal friends. Turn to the back of the book for additional Look and Find activities. Then, put together the giant 40-piece floor puzzle and search for even more "find'ems"!

"A history of the relationship between Iran and America from the 1700s through the current day"--