In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade

by Robin Wright

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671672355
• ISBN13: 9780671672355
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

We can't keep ignoring Islamism

I as well didn't feel author Robin Wright was presenting a "rosy picture" of Islamist terrorists or Ayatollah Khomeini et. al. . This was my first book on Khomeini and his revolution. I enjoyed it. Recommend it. If anyone can recommend a post-Khomeini and Ahmadinejad book let me know. I was reading this concurrently with 'Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution' by Sattareh Farman Farmaian, another great book on the country and people of Iran. Sattareh (a princess of the Qajar dynasty) writes of life in Iran between 1921 to 1992. and her personal experience with being arrested by Khomeini fanatics, taken to this dang compound I can't remember the name were Khomeini was executing all the Shahs men on the roof and she saw Arafat there. After almost 24hrs she was released but told to leave the country asap or else. She narrowly escaped and now lives in the U.S. She was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Daughter of Persia: . Back to In the Name of God On page 136 R. Wright says that then Vice President George HW Bush's Special Task Force on Combating Terrorism - Final Report - "pledged "total war" on terrorism, whatever its origins." I've just read that report and he never says that. He says ; "Our conclusion: the U.S. policy and program to combat terrorism is tough and resolute. We firmly oppose terrorism in all forms and wherever it takes place. We are prepared to act in concert with other nations or alone to prevent or respond to terrorist acts. We will make no concessions to terrorists. At the same time, we will use every available resource to gain the safe return of American citizens who are held hostage." That last sentence negates the previous one, doesn't it? How can you " make no concessions to terrorists " but then "use every available resource to gain the safe return" of American hostages.

Provides recent historical backround

In light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, this book provides a context in which to understand the current state of affiars. It chronicles the Kohmeini decade in Iran, 1979-1989 and describes how complex the politics of the region can be. The quagmire sometimes causes the U.S. and other nations to allign with questionable parties simply because options are limited. This book describes how some of those linkages come about.

An excellent chronicle

In this book, author Robin Wright covers the history of Iran from the 1979 Revolution, to Ayatollah Khomeini's death in 1989. Covering in-depth the happenings inside Iran, she covers many of the different factions within in Iran, as they jostled for power and frequently clashed. She breaks this decade down into four phases: 1979-82, the period of survival; 1983-late 1986, the period of expansion; late 1986-mid 1988, the period of retreat; and mid-1988 on, when Iran came to terms with its rivals. This book was written in 1989, which means that the author did not have too much time in which to put the Iranian Revolution into its proper historical setting. However, that said, the author does give a wonderful understanding, at times showing the similarities between the terrors of Iran's Revolution and those of the French and Russian Revolutions. It did not appear to me that the author was trying to present the revolution in an overtly positive light, though the terrors were not covered in any great depth. Instead, this book read like any good history of the French or Russian Revolutions, and is an excellent chronicle. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand what happened in Iran during this fascinating decade.

Worth a look

I have to disagree with the reader from London. While this book does not go into nearly enough depth about the darker side of the Iranian revolution, it's hardly an apologia. I read it more as a primer, the first draft on a remarkably important event that is still being understood 20 years later. Consult Ms. Wright's other book, "The Last Great Revolution" as a followup.

Very Good

Robin Wright is worthy of her reputation. This is a very readable book on the first decade of the Islamic Republic. Wright is objective and revealing. Anyone wanting to understand what she calls the "Khomeini decade" must read this book.