Over the past thirty years, while the United States has turned either a blind or dismissive eye, Iran has emerged as a nation every bit as capable of altering America's destiny as traditional superpowers Russia and China. Indeed, one of this book's central arguments is that, in some ways, Iran's grip on America's future is even tighter. As ex-CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows, Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting Americans' false perceptions of what Iran is--by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations. The reality is much more frightening--and yet contained in the potential catastrophe is an implicit political response that, if we're bold enough to adopt it, could avert disaster. Baer's on-the-ground sleuthing and interviews with key Middle East players--everyone from an Iranian ayatollah to the king of Bahrain to the head of Israel's internal security--paint a picture of the centuries-old Shia nation that is starkly the opposite of the one normally drawn. For example, Iran's hate-spouting President Ahmadinejad is by no means the true spokesman for Iranian foreign policy, nor is Iran making it the highest priority to become a nuclear player. Even so, Baer has discovered that Iran is currently engaged in a soft takeover of the Middle East, that the proxy method of war-making and co-option it perfected with Hezbollah in Lebanon is being exported throughout the region, that Iran now controls a significant portion of Iraq, that it is extending its influence over Jordan and Egypt, that the Arab Emirates and other Gulf States are being pulled into its sphere, and that it will shortly have a firm hold on the world's oil spigot. By mixing anecdotes with information gleaned from clandestine sources, Baer superbly demonstrates that Iran, far from being a wild-eyed rogue state, is a rational actor--one skilled in the game of nations and so effective at thwarting perceived Western colonialism that even rival Sunnis relish fighting under its banner. For U.S. policy makers, the choices have narrowed: either cede the world's most important energy corridors to a nation that can match us militarily with its asymmetric capabilities (which include the use of suicide bombers)--or deal with the devil we know. We might just find that in allying with Iran, we'll have increased not just our own security but that of all Middle East nations.The alternative--to continue goading Iran into establishing hegemony over the Muslim world--is too chilling to contemplate. From the Hardcover edition.
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Realpolitik Persian Style
In The Crisis of Islam, renowned Middle East expert and scholar Bernard Lewis writes, "Unlike revolutionary France and Russia, revolutionary Iran lacks the means, the resources, and the skills to become a major world power and threat". Robert Baer, not an academician but rather a former CIA operative, takes a very different view in The Devil We Know, writing, "What it comes down to is this: Iran is the most powerful and stable country in the Middle East - a country the United States must either... more info
"Divide and Conquer" This is a Masterful Deception book attempting to convince the readers that "Iran is coming, Iran is coming! All the horrific crimes the Bush government has done are blamed on Iran in one way or other. At the same time the Muslims are being convinced that they should get ready to flight against Iran. The Iraq's tragedy is always someone else's fault, but largely the making of elusive terrorists, whose identities and sources of funds has all come from Iran. These kinds of lies are not even told by the... more info
Well Worth Considering Bob Baer's The Devil We Know is well worth the time. He essentially takes the Neo-con premise that Iran is a threat in the region and turns it around. He argues that Iran is a real regional power with a centuries-long cultural history and a far more rational player in the region than near-failed states like Pakistan. Instead of trying to confront Iran, the US, with two very expensive wars they cannot sustain, needs to find a new policy direction in the region in order to more effectively further their... more info
The Devil We Know The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower I read Robert Baer's previous book, "Sleeping with the Devil", so I was familiar with his style and depth of knowledge about the Middle East and then I heard him discussing this new book on NPR. His thesis is that the Iraq war is over and Iran won, may be a little over the top but his perspective on Iran's position in the Middle East is certainly credible and thought provoking. The book is well written and there's plenty of detail to support... more info
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