A discipline-oriented study of what Iran means for its region and what political science and sociology have contributed and can yet contribute to a better understanding of the Islamic Republic.

The Government of God: Iran's Islamic Republic

History

Benard, Cheryl

Khalilzad, Zalmay

Middle East

Columbia Univ. Pr.

A discipline-oriented study of what Iran means for its region and what political science and sociology have contributed and can yet contribute to a better understanding of the Islamic Republic.

Kalilzad, Zalmay

Columbia University Press

Set in Peshawar, a border town in Pakistan, a murder mystery about a missing American businessman offers a glimpse at the situation of women in the Muslim world, from Afghan refugees to maverick women politicians

Moghul Buffet

Literature & Fiction

United States

Farrar. Straus & Giroux

In a futuristic world run by women, twenty-two-year-old Lisa is given the task of updating women's sexual fantasies, while Harmony, an underground men's movement, is plotting a violent revolution to put women back in their place. By the author of Moghul Buffet. 15,000 first printing.

Turning on the Girls

Contemporary

U.S. policy towards Iran since the 1979 revolution has swung pendulum-like between engagement via negotiation and dialogue, and an approach marked by stronger sanctions and threats of military force. The overall picture is that of oscillation, with policy shifts driven by changes in American administrations and ideological tides, and by periods when a seemingly more moderate Iranian president takes center stage. Outplayed on the strategic chessboard more than once, America has seen its Iran policy produce little in terms of reducing the regime's threat to stability in the region and on the globe. In other stalemated settings or in situations where the U.S. wants to take action without a direct presence, a common method has been to engage the indigenous opposition. This, however, is a risky undertaking, especially when there is insufficient knowledge about the true abilities, values and goals of opposition groups. This study argues that whatever the outcome of current nuclear negotiations with Iran, seeking a better understanding of the Iranian opposition is likely to be key. Currently, real knowledge of this opposition among U.S. policymakers and analysts is vague, containing at least as many assumptions and stereotypes as actual data and information. This diligently researched book steps into the gap. It reviews the full spectrum of the Iranian opposition, describing key groups from the standpoints of their ideologies and capabilities. Noting that forcing opposition groups into an often false "unification" can backfire, it develops a new "additive opposition" approach that identifies and employs each group's specific strengths towards a shared purpose. The book concludes by offering recommendations for how Washington could work with the opposition to achieve U.S. foreign policy objectives and to improve the outlook for Iran's people and the region.

Breaking the Stalemate: The Case for Engaging the Iranian Opposition

Rabasa, Angel

Long, Austin

Metis Analytics

In a futuristic world run by women, twenty-two-year-old Lisa is given the task of updating women's sexual fantasies, while Harmony, an underground men's movement, is plotting a violent revolution to put women back in their place. By the author of Moghul Buffet. Reprint.

Humor & Satire

Washington Square Press

In Afghanistan under Taliban rule, women were forbidden to work or go to school, they could not leave their homes without a male chaperone, and they could not be seen without a head-to-toe covering called the burqa. A woman’s slightest infractions were met with brutal public beatings. That is why it is both appropriate and incredible that the sole effective civil resistance to Taliban rule was made by women. Veiled Courage reveals the remarkable bravery and spirit of the women of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), whose daring clandestine activities defied the forces of the Taliban and earned the world’s fierce admiration. The complete subordination of women was one of the first acts of the Taliban. But the women of RAWA refused to cower. They used the burqa to their advantage, secretly photographing Taliban beatings and executions, and posting the gruesome pictures on their multi-language website, rawa.org, which is read around the world. They organized to educate girls and women in underground schools and to run small businesses in the border towns of Pakistan that allowed widows to support their families. If caught, any RAWA activist would have faced sure death. Yet they persisted. With the overthrow of the Taliban now a reality, RAWA faces a new challenge: defeating the powers of Islamic fundamentalism of which the Taliban are only one face and helping build a society in which women are guaranteed full human rights. Cheryl Benard, an American sociologist and an important advisor to RAWA, uses her inside access to write the first behind-the-scenes story of RAWA and its remarkably brave women. Veiled Courage will change the way Americans think of Afghanistan, casting its people and its future in a new, more hopeful light.

Veiled Courage: Inside the Afghan Women's Resistance

Broadway

Many humanitarian interventions led and supported by the United States go beyond simple disaster relief and include such difficult tasks as protecting refugees, securing humanitarian aid, and restoring civil order. The U.S. Air Force often plays an important role in such complex contingency operations. MR1185AF explores how the military might improve coordination with relief agencies and with European allies in such operations. It examines the dynamics of complex contingency operations, provides an overview of the relief community, delineates barriers to better cooperation, discusses the European contribution, and recommends steps the military might take to improve coordination in future crises. Steps include improving military familiarization with key relief organizations humanitarian advisor, establishing more centers of excellence, and bringing relief organizations into the planning process.

Strengthening the Partnership: Improving Military Coordination with Relief Agencies and Allies in Humanitarian Operations

Pirnie, Bruce

Waxman, Matthew C.

Lesser, Ian

Byman Georgetown University, Daniel L.

Military

RAND Corporation

Islam's own internal struggles make it difficult for outsiders to understand the actors and the issues. The author sheds light on these issues and suggests ways for the international community to cope.

Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Does women's participation in nation building make a difference to the post conflict trajectories of very volatile societies? Women and Nation Building presents compelling findings for policymakers, practitioners, and scholars concerned with both the academic and pragmatic implementation of an engendered approach to nationbuilding. The book concludes that the steps necessary to strengthen nationbuilding activities include an emphasis on human security, establishing governance based on the principles of equity and the rule of law, and women's early economic inclusion in reconstruction activities. Societies on a path toward equity and the rule of law are more peaceful and more prosperous, and the status of women is not merely a litmus test but an active agent in bringing about such an outcome.

Women and Nation-Building

Jones, Seth G.

Oliker, Olga

Thurston, Cathryn Quantic

Stearns, Brooke K.

Reference

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