Very few reasonable people doubt President Obama’s intellectual capacity, but some worry that he is not the sort to seek out infromation that challenges his long-held views. One of those views is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a nation that the United States can engage in serious, sustained and ultimately fruitful negotiations over a variety of issues including the mullahs’ nuclear ambitions. Even if the new president is absolutely convinced of his ability to achieve that which no president since Jimmy Carter has been able to do –though each of them, including both Bush 41 and 43, tried– he ought still to spend some time with two books and a movie that communicate the opposite view.
The first book is a serious and riveting read by a dedicated journalist who is no doubt very high on the hit list of the Iranian theocracy that has long used foreign assassinations of exiles as a tool of state policy.
Amir Taheri was the executive editor of the largest newspaper in Iran prior to the Khomeinist revolution. As a prolific writer throughout his exile, he has contributed important stories and analyses to the world’s most influential newspapers and published highly regarded books on Iran and the West.
Now Taheri has written his most important book, The Persian Night