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This book provides the first full account of America´s relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran from Jimmy Carter´s presidency to Barack Obama´s. It discusses all major facets of Iranian policy of interest to the United States: nuclear proliferation, revolutionary export and support for international terrorism, efforts to undermine the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and violations of human rights. It compares developments in Iran to their perception in Washington, providing the clearest picture available yet of the discrepancies between the complex and elusive Iranian reality and its understanding in the United States.

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Introduction: Predicting Political Change in Iran:a History of Failure The Carter Administration Iran´s Policy: Sowing a Revolution and Reaping a Whirlwind The Carter Administration and the Islamic Republic of Iran: Navigating the Uncharted Territory of Islamist Foreign Policy The Reagan Administration´s Balancing Act:Confusion in Washington and Tehran The Bush 41 Administration: To Contain or not to Contain The Clinton Administration: The Politics of Reluctant Containment The Clinton Administration and Khatami´s Iran: A New Era in Relations? The Bush 43 Administration´s ´Axis of Evil´: Back to Containment The Bush Administration and Ahmadinejad´s Iran: The Limits of Containment The Obama Administration: The Rise and Fall of the Iran Outreach Project Reflections on American Politics and Intelligence in Iran: A Guide for the Perplexed Conclusion: Looking to Learn the Lessons of Failure

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"If you wish to understand why Tehran has come so close to obtaining nuclear weapons, and why its dogged quest for the bomb can be stopped only by coercive measures, this is the book to read.´"

Efraim Karsh, director, Middle East Forum

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OFIRA SELIKTARProfessor of Political Science at Gratz College, USA.

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