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'An excellent contribution to our knowledge of Iran and Soleimani.' Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave
When the US assassinated Qassem Soleimani, he was one of the most powerful men in Iran. Known as 'the shadow commander', he enacted the wishes of the country's Supreme Leader across the Middle East, establishing the Islamic Republic as a major force in the region. But all this was a long way from where he began - on the margins of a nation whose ruler was seen as a friend of the West.
Through Soleimani, Arash Azizi examines how Iran came to be where it is today. Providing a rare insight into a country whose actions are often discussed but seldom understood, he reveals the global ambitions underlying Iran's proxy wars, geopolitics and nuclear programme.
List of contents
Introduction: #WorldWarIII
1 A Life on the Margins
2 A Young Man in the City
3 To Guard a Revolution
4 "A Gift from the Heavens"
5 War Makes Man
6 No Islamism in One Country
7 A Chalice Full of Poison
8 An "Unwritten Pact"
9 We Protect the Shrines
10 Busy in Beirut
11 Islamic Awakening, Sectarian Degeneration
12 Black Flags, White Flags
Epilogue: The Endgame
Timeline
Acknowledgments
A Note on Sources
Bibliography
Notes
Index
About the author
Arash Azizi is a historian at New York University where he researches the transnational links that tied Iran and the Arab world during the Cold War. He has written for numerous publications, including the
New York Times,
Washington Post,
Daily Beast,
Toronto Star and
Jacobin, and several of his book-length translations have appeared in Iran and elsewhere. He lives in New York City. @arash_tehran
Report
'An important book about one of the Middle East's most charismatic and powerful men in recent years.'
Middle East Monitor
