Michael Axworthy

For over thirty years the Islamic Republic has resisted widespread condemnation, sanctions, and sustained attacks by Iraq in a brutal eight-year war. Many policy-makers today share a weary wish that Iran would disappear as a problem. But with Iran's continuing commitment to a nuclear programme and its reputation as a trouble-maker in Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere, this is unlikely any time soon. The slow demise of the 2009 'Green Revolution' shows that Revolutionary Iran's institutions are still formidable. Michael Axworthy's Iran- Empire of the Mindestablished him as one of the world's principal experts on this extraordinary country and in his new book, Revolutionary Iran, he has written the definitive history of this subject, one which takes full account of Iran's unique experience. It gives the full story of the complex series of events which have so marked Iran's view of the world, from the origins of the revolution of 1979, right up to the closing months of the Ahmadinejad Presidency, and seeks to explain the durability of a regime which since its inception has been repeatedly written off as a medieval throwback. Axworthy by contrast makes a convincing case for the aggressive modernity of the republic, with its pride in its hard-won independence, its manipulation of mass politics, obsession with technology and education and use and abuse of Iranian culture and history. The result is an in-depth, candid view of a country often badly misunderstood by outsiders.

A History of the Islamic Republic

Revolutionary Iran

Empire of the Mind offers the reader a compelling overview of Iranian history from the earliest times up to the present day. It highlights the uniqueness of Iranian identity, as one of the oldest continuing civilisationsin the world. In doing so, as well as covering military and dynastic matters, it emphasises the role of cultural and intellectual movements in Iran in order to demonstrate how Iran has had an influence in the Middle East and Asia beyond her borders through the power of Persianate culture, rather than through conventional political and military means - an Empire of the Mind as much as an Empire of the Sword.

A History of Iran

Empire of the Mind

Iran often appears in the media as a hostile and difficult country. But beneath the headlines there is a fascinating story of a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and enormous cultural importance. A nation whose impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbours in the Middle East but on the world as a whole � and through ideas and creativity rather than by the sword. From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis and current president Mahmud Ahmadinejad � a controversial figure within as well as outside the country � Michael Axworthy traces a vivid, integrated account of Iran�s past. He explains clearly and carefully both the complex succession of dynasties that ruled ancient Iran and the surprising ethnic diversity of the modern country, held together by a common culture. With Iran again the focus of the world�s attention, and questions about the country�s disposition and intentions pressing, Iran: Empire of the Mind is an essential guide to understanding a complicated land.

A History from Zoroaster to the Present Day

Iran: Empire of the Mind

Nader Shah, from Tribal Warrior to Conquering Tyrant

The Sword of Persia

Breve storia dell'Iran. Dalle origini ai nostri giorni

Devrimci İran

Iran is a land of contradictions. It is an Islamic republic, but one in which only 1.4 percent of the population attend Friday prayers. Iran's religious culture encompasses the most censorious and dogmatic Shi'a Muslim clerics in the world, yet its poetry insistently dwells on the joys of life: wine, beauty, sex. Iranian women are subject to one of the most restrictive dress codes in the Islamic world, but make up nearly 60 percent of the student population of the nation's universities. In A History of Iran, acclaimed historian Michael Axworthy chronicles the rich history of this complex nation from the Achaemenid Empire of sixth century B.C. to the present-day Islamic Republic. In engaging prose, this revised edition explains the military, political, religious, and cultural forces that have shaped one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world, bringing us up modern times. Concluding with an assessment of the immense changes the nation has undergone since the revolution in 1979, including a close look at Iran's ongoing attempts to become a nuclear power, A History of Iran offers general readers an essential guide to understanding this volatile nation, which is once again at the center of the world's attention.

Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, embodied ruthless ambition, energy, military brilliance, cynicism and cruelty. His reign was filled with bloodshed, betrayal and horror. Yet, Nader Shah is central to Iran's early modern history. From a shepherd boy, he rose to liberate his country from foreign occupation, and make himself Shah. He took eighteenth century Iran in a trajectory from political collapse and partition to become the dominant power in the region, briefly opening the prospect of a modernising state that could have resisted colonial intervention in Asia. He recovered all the territory lost by his predecessors, including Herat and Kandahar, and went on to conquer Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India. Nader commanded the most powerful military force in Asia, if not the world. He repeatedly defeated the armies of Ottoman Turkey, the preeminent State of Islam, overran most of what is now Iraq and threatened to take Baghdad on several occasions. But from the zenith of his success he declined into illness, insane avarice and horrific savagery, committing terrible atrocities against the Persian people, his friends, and even his family, until he finally died as violently as he had lived. The "Sword of Persia" recreates the story of a remarkable, ruthless man, capable of both charm and brutality. It is a rich narrative, full of dramatic incident, including much new research into original Iranian and other material, which will prove indispensable to historians and students. The book includes many contemporary illustrations, and maps.

Sword of Persia

Nader Shah, ruler of Persia from 1736 to 1747, embodied ruthless ambition, energy, military brilliance, cynicism and cruelty. His reign was filled with bloodshed, betrayal and horror. Yet Nader Shah is central to Iran's early modern history. From a shepherd boy he rose to liberate his country from foreign occupation, and make himself Shah. He took eighteenth-century Iran from political collapse to become the dominant power in the region, recovering Herat and Kandahar, conquering Moghul Delhi, plundering the enormous treasures of India, repeatedly defeating Ottoman Turkey, and overrunning most of what is now Iraq. But suspicion and avarice led him to persecute the Persian people as savagely as any foreign conqueror had done. The Sword of Persia recreates the story of a remarkable, ruthless man, capable of both charm and brutality, who became a monster of insane cruelty. It is a rich narrative, full of dramatic incident, including much new research into original Iranian and other material, which will prove indispensable to historians and students.

The definitive history of the Iran-Iraq war, and revolutionary Iran, essential for understanding the country today For over 30 years the Islamic Republic has resisted widespread condemnation, sanctions, and sustained attacks by Iraq in an eight-year war. Many policy-makers today share a weary wish that Iran would somehow just disappear as a problem. But with Iran's continuing commitment to a nuclear programme and its reputation as a trouble-maker in Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere, this is unlikely any time soon. The slow demise of the 2009 'Green Revolution' shows that Revolutionary Iran's institutions are still formidable. This is the definitive history of this subject, from one of the world's principal experts.

Brendan Simms

Patrick Milton

It was the original forever war, which went on interminably, fuelled by religious fanaticism, personal ambition, fear of hegemony, and communal suspicion. It dragged in all the neighbouring powers. It was punctuated by repeated failed ceasefires. It inflicted suffering beyond belief and generated waves of refugees. No, this is not Syria today, but the Thirty Years' War (1618-48), which turned Germany and much of central Europe into a disaster zone. The Thirty Years' War is often cited as a parallel in discussions of the Middle East. The Peace of Westphalia, which ended the conflict in 1648, has featured strongly in such discussions, usually with the observation that recent events in some parts of the region have seen the collapse of ideas of state sovereignty--ideas that supposedly originated with the 1648 settlement. Axworthy, Milton and Simms argue that the Westphalian treaties, far from enshrining state sovereignty, in fact reconfigured and strengthened a structure for legal resolution of disputes, and provided for intervention by outside guarantor powers to uphold the peace settlement. This book argues that the history of Westphalia may hold the key to resolving the new long wars in the Middle East today.

Towards A Westphalia for the Middle East

Senior Lecturer and Director of Center for Persian and Iranian Studies Michael Axworthy

Since the beginning of recorded history, Iran/Persia has been one of the most important world civilizations. Iran remains a distinct civilization today despite its status as a major Islamic state with broad regional influence and its deep integration into the global economy through its vast energy reserves. Yet the close attention paid to Iran in recent decades stems from the impact of the 1979 revolution, which unleashed ideological shock waves throughout the Middle East that reverberate to this day. Many observers look at Iran through the prism of the Islamic Republic's adversarial relationship with the US, Israel, and Sunni nations in its region, yet as Michael Axworthy shows in Iran: What Everyone Needs to Know, there is much more to contemporary Iran than its fraught and complicated foreign relations. He begins with a concise account of Iranian history from ancient times to the late twentieth century, following that with sharp summaries of the key events since the1979 revolution. The final section of the book focuses on Iran today--its culture, economy, politics, and people--and assesses the challenges that the nation will face in coming years. Iran will be an essential overview of a complex and important nation that has occupied world headlines for nearly four decades.

What Everyone Needs to Know

Iran

Iran often appears in the media as a hostile and difficult country. But beneath the headlines there is a fascinating story of a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and enormous cultural importance. A nation whose impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbours in the Middle East but on the world as a whole – and through ideas and creativity rather than by the sword. From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis and current president Mahmud Ahmadinejad – a controversial figure within as well as outside the country – Michael Axworthy traces a vivid, integrated account of Iran’s past. He explains clearly and carefully both the complex succession of dynasties that ruled ancient Iran and the surprising ethnic diversity of the modern country, held together by a common culture. With Iran again the focus of the world’s attention, and questions about the country’s disposition and intentions pressing, Iran: Empire of the Mind is an essential guide to understanding a complicated land.

Una historia completa de Irán, desde el Imperio Aqueménida del siglo VI a. C. a la actual República Islámica. Irán es un país de contradicciones. Es una república islámica, en la que sólo el 1,4 por ciento de la población asiste a las oraciones del viernes. Su cultura religiosa abarca la mayoría de las dogmáticas chiitas del mundo y sin embargo su poesía se detiene en la insistencia de las alegrías de la vida: el vino, la belleza, el sexo. Las mujeres iraníes están sujetas a uno de los códigos de vestimenta más restrictivo del mundo islámico, pero representan casi el sesenta por ciento de la población estudiantil universitaria. Michael Axworthy, un importante experto sobre Irán, explica en una prosa accesible, la rica historia de esta compleja nación y de cómo los cambios militares, políticos, religiosos, y las fuerzas culturales han dado forma a una de las más antiguas civilizaciones del mundo. Michael Axworthy, fue delegado de la Commonwealth en Irán, país que ya había visitado frecuentemente desde muy joven, entre 1998 y 2000. En 2006 se publicó su primer libro, The Sword of Persia [La espada de Persia] sobre el conquistador iraní Nader Shah. Desde entonces ha desarrollado una intensa labor periodística sobre temas iraníes, en diarios como The Independent, revistas como Prospect, radio y televisión. Actualmente, ejerce como director del centro de estudios persas y del iraní en la Universidad de Exeter.

Michael Axworthy

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