Decoding Iran’s Foreign Policy

An excellent portrait of the history and evolution of Iranian foreign policy. It is a realist account that demonstrates at each step how Iranian leaders responded to their environment, and how those actions served, or failed to serve, Iran’s national interests. It clearly delineates how Iran’s world view is shaped by its own history but also how it reacts to the circumstances of the moment. It outlines with great clarity Iran’s fundamental strategies, and considers how its strategic instincts may shape its response to future events. This is a book that calls out to be used in the classroom, since it presents a wealth of factual material without falling into the trap of bias and partisanship that taints so much of the contemporary literature on Iran. -- Gary Sick, Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University’s Middle East Institute
In his excellent new book, Ross Harrison zeros in on perhaps the most important issue regarding Iran: Can it be nudged into prioritizing diplomacy and “state-based integration into the global system” in the wake of Israeli-inflicted damage to its “Axis of Resistance”? Harrison’s book provides essential historical background to understand Iran’s choices and will be of great use to academics, policymakers and anyone with an interest in the future of this pivotal nation. -- Barbara Slavin- Author of "Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S.and the Twisted Path to Confrontation"

Miracle-worker Ross Harrison has somehow made the incomprehensible comprehensible. In his words, he has “decoded” the seemingly unbreakable messages of Iran’s foreign policy. In so doing, he has applied a blend of scholarship, vision, and balance in a field too often dominated by emotions, wishful thinking, and personal biases.

-- Ambassador John Limbert (retired)
Ross Harrison has achieved a rare feat with this book: providing a window into the thinking of the Islamic Republic without lapsing into over-identification or apologia. It's the kind of analysis that is desperately needed in Washington — and rarely heeded. From historical trends to insightful glimpses into Iran's decision-making calculus since the Cold War, this book is full of sensitive, considered information that will enlighten even the most seasoned Iran watcher. -- John Ghazvinian, author of America and Iran: A History from 1720 to the Present
Seeking to understand Iran’s foreign policy, Professor Harrison first expertly describes strategies from the Safavids to Khamenei. With Tehran’s militia and political proxies today in disarray, he then asks if Iran’s leaders can pursue a foreign policy which makes life better for the Iranian people and their neighbors. -- Marc Grossman, Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs of the United States