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Dilip Hiro
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Pages: 528 (Paperback)
ISBN: 1842751581
Pub: Politico's Publishing Ltd
Pub date: 2006-03-13
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 160742
Reader Reviews:
Iran without pain (4/4 people found this helpful)
I was given this book, so opened it expecting dry academic analysis, or worse, an undercover polemical rant. So I plunged in with all antenna waving, sniffing hard for the first evidence of tendentious slant. But I was quickly disarmed by Hiro's dextrous blend of human detail and political insight and found myself discovering a country of contradictions, humour, odd passions and wonderful complexity.
Hiro kindly interweaves elementary historical facts about Persia's ancient and hugely influential culture into Iran's recent history. His grasp of the detail is so assured that he can give a superbly balanced account of the conflicting internal and external forces now struggling for supremacy over Iran and the great treasures it controls, whether petro-chemical or spiritual. The resulting whole is refreshingly accessible, without being didactic.
This non-specialist has gained much painless understanding of a crucial political arena - and of Iran's view of itself - and been surprisingly entertained on the way. I really recommend this book - I only wish its title better reflected its rich contents. A great read, and the detailed index makes it easy to refer back to when baffled by new developments.
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