Targeting Iran (City Lights Open Media) (Paperback)

by David Barsamian (Author), Noam Chomsky (Author), Ervand Abrahamian (Author), Nahid Mozaffari (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio and coauthor of Imperial Delusions, has produced a highly informative book that examines the U.S.-Iran standoff through interviews with Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian and Nahid Mozaffari. Topics of discussion range from the U.S.-backed 1953 coup to poetry in the years after the Islamic revolution, but the exposition of why Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad thinks Iran has the upper hand and the prospects for and likely consequences of a U.S. military strike in Iran are some of the most powerful portions of the book. "Both sides are playing brinksmanship," claims Abrahamian. One of the central conclusions is that the U.S. and Iran are teetering precipitously on the edge of another war that neither side can afford to participate in. In Barsamian's (and his interviewees') view, the best hope for a bloodless conclusion to the current standoff is for the US to approach Iran without demanding it submit to American demands before they even reach the bargaining table. This slim book is heavy with historical and cultural background that doesn't often find its way into news accounts; it's a great primer on a simmering conflict.
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Review
"A valuable book in that it covers...many of the essential questions regarding the geopolitics of the Islamic Republic." -- Danny Postel, Fellowship

"Insightful, timely, and laced with rich historical perspective." -- Azadeh Moaveni, author of Lipstick Jihad

"Targeting Iran feels like sitting in on a series of riveting seminars by top experts." -- T. Tamara Weinstein, Feminist Review

"Targeting Iran is concise and cogent, essential reading for anyone who wants to learn about Iran." -- Tim Llewellyn, former BBC Middle East correspondent, journalist and author

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: City Lights Publishers (June 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872864588
• ISBN-13: 978-0872864580
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #509,787 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Target Iran, July 7, 2007

By	P.K. Ryan "The Ryan Identity" (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This compact little book is an excellent introduction to the developing conflict between Iran and the U.S. It is comprised of three interviews with Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian, and Nahid Mozaffari by author David Barsamian. The authors are clearly all left leaning, but despite this, I found the book to be a fairly objective and sober analysis of the situation. Although they clearly portray the US as the more belligerent and dishonest party, their arguments for doing so are hard to refute.

Chomsky gives a good background of the half-century "relationship" between the US and Iran and then gives his take on the current predicament and how this might end. Abrahamian's interview and his conclusions are very similar: Both countries are equally stubborn and self-righteous and they both refuse to back down. Iran is a repressive regime but ironically has been more willing to negotiate. The US has consistently rebuked any such overtures with snubs and insults, which has further enflamed the situation. The war hawks in the Bush administration are itching for war with Iran but know they can't invade. They are definitely contemplating air strikes to stop Iran from enriching uranium and seem to be indifferent to the repercussions of such an action.

Abrahamian rejects the notion that if attacked, Iran would strike Israel or American forces directly, but instead argues that all they would have to do is give the green light to their Shiite allies in Iraq (al-Sadr etc.) and warlords in Afghanistan who would then attack US forces in their respective countries. This would likely be a nightmare for Americans. They could also cut off the oil supply at any time.

The 1953 American backed coup that overthrew democratically elected Mohammed Mossadegh remains a sore spot for Iranians and understandably so. There is also the issue of America's support for Saddam during his eight-year war against Iran and the overall bad faith they have shown towards Iran over the years. On the US side there is the 1979 hostage crisis, which many Americans still resent. Iran's more current involvement in terrorism is not discussed.

Abrahamian says on pg 116:
"So the present crisis in Iran is being seen as a replay of the oil nationalization crisis with Mossadegh, and Iranians are drawing parallels to Iran in 1951-53, when Iran wanted to be a self-sufficient, self-respecting nation and have sovereignty over its resources. The Americans and the British offered these ultimatums: if you don't give up your oil, we're going to destroy you. And Mossadegh was a hero; even though he didn't succeed, he stood up for national rights. Iranians are seeing a similar thing, except now it's the question of nuclear technology."

The last essay by Mozaffari is more about the internal workings of Iran; culture, dissident groups, status of women and the like. According to Mozaffari, there is a widespread, yet disorganized movement pushing for a host of reforms including a secular, democratic state. What seems to be consistent among these dissidents is their rejection of outside help to achieve their democratic state. They understand that any outside power that tries to impose democracy on a country invariably does it for their own interests and this will almost inevitably fail. Which leads me to my conclusion. American filmmaker Oliver Stone recently applied to the Iranian government for a permit to film a documentary about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His permit was rejected as Iran's media advisor said that Stone is part of the `Great Satan.' Stone responded; "I've been called a lot of things, but never a 'Great Satan.' I wish the Iranian people well, and I only hope their experience with an inept, rigid ideologue president goes better than ours." After reading this book, I think this brief statement goes a long way in explaining our current predicament. Four stars.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interviews on the Past, Present & Future of the U.S.-Iran Relationship, December 18, 2007

By	Valerie J. Saturen (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The war drums in Washington beat ever louder, to the accompaniment of saber-rattling rhetoric toward Iran. Although daily talk of the Islamic Republic fills our newspapers and TV screens, many vital questions remain unaddressed in the mainstream media. Is the tough talk merely an instrument of diplomatic pressure, or is the Bush administration planning a military intervention? What is the historical context of the U.S. relationship with Iran? What internal dissent and debate exists among Iran's intellectuals, artists, and young people? Finally, what consequences can we expect should U.S.-Iranian relations continue to deteriorate?

Targeting Iran contains incisive interviews with three notable scholars--Noam Chomsky, Ervand Abrahamian, and Nahid Mozaffari--covering each of these questions and more. Author and Alternative Radio host David Barsamian's introduction provides a primer on the historical legacy that is indispensable in understanding the current tension between the two nations. The legacy of the 1953 U.S.-led coup of the democratically elected Mohammad Mosadegh, who had gotten the unfortunate notion that Iran's oil belongs to Iran, remains a source of bitterness among Iranians. Though all but forgotten in American collective memory, Iranians recall the coup and subsequent installment of a tyrannical but U.S.-friendly shah each time President Bush speaks of "spreading democracy."

Noam Chomsky highlights the contradiction between Bush administration fearmongering about a "nuclear threat" and U.S. encouragement of Iran's nuclear development during the shah's reign. "MIT, where [I teach] now," he says, "made a deal with the shah of Iran, pretty much to sell him a large part of the nuclear engineering department." Chomsky explains these discrepancies in memory: "The people who hold the clubs typically like to forget history and say it's irrelevant. But the people who are hit by the clubs tend to remember history, for good reasons, because it teaches you something."

Barsamian's interview with Baruch College professor and leading Iran scholar Ervand Abrahamian continues along similar lines. After adding his own historical insights, Abrahamian speculates on likely consequences of U.S.-Iran tension. While hesitant to assert that the Bush administration is planning an attack, he raises a crucial point about the militant rhetoric: "once you start using the language, you eventually become committed to it." Should tensions escalate into an American attack, Abrahamian warns of dire ramifications for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Nahid Mozaffari examines a different angle, discussing women's rights, dissent, and the power of poetry and literature in Iran's political landscape. While writers and intellectuals face a difficult plight in a country rife with censorship, men and women alike continue to add to a rich literary tradition. Iran is a youthful country--a third of the population is under thirty--and the youth are pushing for democratic change through grassroots organizing and the Internet. They have made it clear, however, that they do not want outside intervention.

Targeting Iran is both informative and accessible. It is a valuable contribution, illuminating an issue with urgent implications for the United States and its relationship with the Middle East.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Iran is not the enemy!, November 28, 2007

By	Armen Taroian (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is so refreshing to learn the accounts of historical events that has shaped United States relationship with Iran without any polotical agendas. Targeting Iran is an excellent resource for interested individuals in middle east crisis. Mr. Barsamian has done an outstanding job in presenting the main factores in US and Iran relationship during the past 60 years or so. He poses very direct and relevant questions to the three experts and their response is to the point and filled with historical facts and analysis which is very hard to find in the main stream media. This book illustrates the hypocrisy that exists when describing Iran. Iran was the main US ally when we entered Afghanestan in pursuit of Talaban. Iran has been keeping the peace in southern Iraq. In fact the book expains how Iran has been and is the most stable country in this troubled region.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested to learn more about Iran's immediate past history, present polotical and cultural state, and it's polotical importance to the world.