https://www.scribd.com/book/182507200/Understanding-Iran-Everything-You-Need-to-Know-From-Persia-to-the-Islamic-Republic-From-Cyrus-to-Khamenei
Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, From Persia to the Islamic Republic, From Cyrus to Khamenei
William R. Polk
3.89
293 ratings25 reviews
William R. Polk provides an informative, readable history of a country which is moving quickly toward becoming the dominant power and culture of the Middle East. A former member of the State Department's Policy Planning Council, Polk describes a country and a history misunderstood by many in the West. While Iranians chafe under the yolk of their current leaders, they also have bitter memories of generations of British, Russian and American espionage, invasion, and dominance. There are important lessons to be learned from the past, and Polk teases them out of a long and rich history and shows that it is not just now, but for decades to come that an understanding of Iran will be essential to American safety and well-being.
GenresHistoryIranPoliticsNonfictionIslamMilitary FictionGeography
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272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
This edition
Format
272 pages, Hardcover
Published
October 27, 2009 by St. Martin's Press
ISBN
9780230616783 (ISBN10: 023061678X)
Language
English
More editionsPage 1 of 3
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PaperbackSt. Martin's Griffin2011
ebookSt. Martin's Press2009
Paperback光現出版2017
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3.89
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Virginia Cornelia
182 reviews · 79 followers
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September 29, 2021
Audiobook on scribd. The first chapters were interesting, but from one point on, Great Britain was the mother of all evils, while America wanted to help Iran cross the street, patted him affectionately on the head, but he behaved like a spoiled and ungrateful boy. Soviet-style pro-American propaganda.
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TG Lin
258 reviews · 32 followers
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ReadAugust 2, 2019
這本書名很長的《伊朗︰被消滅的帝國，被出賣的出權，被低估的革命，被詛咒的石油，以及今日的——伊朗》，由曾經擔任美國政府顧問職的「威廉．波爾克（William Polk）」所著，中譯本由「光．現出版社」所出版，算是書市中專述伊朗歷史的幾本書之一。與我在今年四月讀的由 Parker 所著的圖文並茂的《波斯人》一書比起來，這本的「入門性」比較低，而且某些古史論述有些瑕疵。但由於本書作者的背景之故，因此本書的最大價值，應該就是以一位曾經在現場參與事件者的身份所留下來的史料吧。
每個現代國家都有其自身的歷史脈絡與特色。以伊朗人的觀點，從中古時代薩法維王朝的塑造，形成了今日伊朗在西亞地區成為一個以宗教（什葉派穆斯林）為主體所構成的國家，比其周圍相鄰的阿拉伯土豪遍地的情況並不相同。但近現代以來，由於英蘇兩國所玩的那場「大博奕」，使得伊朗在現代化的路上處處感到「悲情」不已（所以我們島民別再自以為有多麼地悲情了……）。更殘酷的，是伊朗巴列維王朝兩任國王，為了擺脫英蘇兩國的影響，引進第三國「美國」來加以制衡。沒想到在二戰之後，「英波石油公司／英國石油公司」退去，美國人卻從原來的崇高道德的角色，反過來成了獨自控制該國的「太上皇」，並一手主導了將那位阻擋現代石油公司獲利的世俗總理「摩薩台」給搞下台的勾當。也難怪在伊朗伊斯蘭革命之後，神權共和國的當政者們，有多麼地痛恨這個偽善的「美利堅合眾國」了。
本書作者的立場，對現代伊朗屬於「溫和派」。但不曉得是否為同僚或自己而諱，雖然作者明白地寫到 CIA 搞掉摩薩台一事，但在其後 1979 年的伊朗革命之後，美國人對伊朗所進行的干涉似乎未多加著墨，而放在大阿亞圖拉何梅尼如何鬥掉他的幾個政敵。比如像兩伊戰爭怎麼爆發，美國軍艦在波斯灣的動作，作者多以一兩個名詞輕描淡寫地帶過。因此本書雖然在許多書評中認為「美國進入伊朗」的這一章節最有價值，但若以我自己的觀點，似乎只打了半場好球而已……
可以一讀的書。
긴 제목의 "Iran: Empire Vanquished, Power Betrayed, Revolution Undervalued, Oil Cursed, and Iran Today"는
"William Powell, 한때 미국 정부 고문을 역임한 사람"입니다. "William Polk", 중국어 번역 도서 시장에서이란의 역사에 관한 몇 안되는 책 중 하나 인 "Guang Xian Publishing House"에서 출판했습니다.
올해 4월에 읽은 파커의 그림책 '페르시아인'과 비교하면 이 책은 '서론'이 상대적으로 적고 일부 고대 역사 논의에 다소 결함이 있다. 그러나 이 책을 쓴 저자의 배경으로 인해 이 책의 가장 큰 가치는 현장에서 사건에 참여했던 사람이 남긴 역사적 자료일 것이다.
모든 현대 국가에는 고유한 역사적 맥락과 특성이 있습니다. 이란인의 입장에서 볼 때 중세 사파비 왕조의 형성으로 오늘날 서아시아의 이란은 종교(시아파 무슬림)를 주체로 하는 국가가 되었지만 사정은 그렇지 않다.
그러나 현대에 이르러 영국과 소련이 벌이는 '큰 게임'으로 인해 이란은 근대화의 길 곳곳에서 '슬픔'을 느꼈다(그래서 우리 섬사람들은 그렇게 슬프게 생각하지 않는다...). 더 잔인한 것은 이란 팔레비 왕조의 두 왕이 영국과 소련의 영향력을 없애기 위해 견제와 균형을 위해 제3국인 미국을 도입했다는 점이다.
뜻밖에도 2차 세계대전 이후 '영국석유회사/BP'는 물러났지만, 미국인들은 본래 도덕성이 높은 역할에서 홀로 나라를 다스리는 '우월한 황제'로 바뀌었고, 단독으로 전복에 앞장섰다. 국가를 막은 사람들 현대 석유 회사에서 이익을 얻은 세속적 인 총리 "Mossadegh"는 물러날 음모를 꾸몄습니다.
이란의 이슬람 혁명 이후 신권 공화국의 통치자들이이 위선적 인 "미합중국"을 그렇게 싫어한 것은 놀라운 일이 아닙니다. 이 책의 저자 입장은 현대 이란에 대해 '온건파'다. 하지만 동료를 위한 것인지 나 자신을 위한 것인지는 모르겠다 저자는 분명히 CIA가 모사데크를 제거했다고 썼지만, 1979년 이란 혁명 이후 미국의 이란 개입은 별로 주목하지 않았던 것 같다.
Grand Ayatollah Khomeini가 그의 정치적 적 몇 명을 어떻게 물리 쳤는지에 대해. 예를 들어, 이란-이라크 전쟁이 어떻게 발발했는지, 페르시아만에서 미국 전함들이 어떻게 행동했는지 등 저자는 그것을 과소평가하기 위해 주로 한두 가지 용어를 사용했다.
그러므로 이 책에 대한 많은 서평들이 "The United States Enters Iran" 챕터가 가장 가치 있다고 생각하지만, 내 자신의 관점에서 볼 때, 그것은 단지 좋은 하프타임 게임을 한 것 같다...
책 읽을 수 있습니다.
#最近本書好像出了第二版用來罵川普吧
國際關係 歷史介紹
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Vicky Hunt
747 reviews · 41 followers
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September 23, 2020
An Eye-Opening Look from the Vantage Point of the Middle Eastern World
While I could not agree with everything I read, and one or two things have since been proven to be incorrect political theories, I found this book to provide a maximum amount of information in a minimum amount of time. And, it was an enjoyable history covering a vast time frame. It certainly put Iran in perspective and connected the loose ends between Darius of Persia and the Shahs of Iran.
My background is quite lacking in the history of the Middle East. This was certainly the work to begin my quest for the past in all of Asia. Probably the time lapse since the book was written is one draw back in choosing this book, since it is not current. Because of that I first chose to read Iran Rising: The Survival and Future of the Islamic Republic by Amin Saikal. It seemed to offer more of a modern perspective. But, that book was so dry and boring, and politically one-sided that I quickly discarded that and bought this one in both the Kindle and the Audible for whisper-sync. This was a good choice, and it more than makes up for the datedness of the writing by the foundational history it provides.
If you only read one book about Iran, this may be the book you should choose. It gives a more rounded perspective of all political entities involved in the centuries and decades of struggle that is Iran. It also gives quite a bit of info on Iranian culture.
I read this for my stop in Iran on my Journey Around the World in 2019-2020. My next stop is Northeastward into Turkmenistan, where I am now reading a very unusual story called The Revenge of the Foxes by Ak Welspar on Kindle.
around-the-world-2018-2020
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Rebecca Graf
40 books · 81 followers
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September 6, 2012
Attempting to understand a culture of today cannot be limited to just this generation or even the generation before that. To fully understand any culture, the researcher has to go back to the beginning and examine the history from that moment until today. In regard to the rich culture of Iran, William R. Polk attempts to do just that in his book, Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, From Persia to the Islamic Republic, From Cyrus to Ahmadinejad.
Polk starts as far back as in history as possible for Iran. From there he discusses the cultural, ethnic, and national identity of being Iranian. It is not just a matter of descending from those that lived there for generations. It is not just claiming a home there. It is much more intricate. The book explores the history of rulers and the impact each new wave of leadership brought upon the people who lived in the region known now as Iran. The see-saw of strong ruler with that of weak ones kept the nation in turmoil and laid the foundation of much of the problems of today. The book dives further into the European influence, revolutionary veins, and the explosion of that revolutionary wave leading to a unique Iran of today with strained ties to the world around it.
The author sets out to understand the Iran of today by looking into the past starting with the original Persians. What most of the world knows about Iran is based on the struggles over the nation and the resources it possesses. Polk strove to get beyond the United States/Iran issue or the Britain/Iran issue and discover “what it means when we speak of Iran and Iranians.” He wanted to get to the heart of the people and culture.
Understanding Iran is a very comprehensive book that does not start during the Persian and Greek wars. It does not start with the end of World War I. It starts at the beginning to get a more complete picture of the subject at hand: Iran and its people. The fact that the book is so encompassing and looks beyond stereotypes makes it a valuable resource. Polk does an excellent job of taking all aspects of the Iranian world (culture, history, and political) and bringing into a logical and understandable kaleidoscope. He lays out clearly how Iran’s past is not something to be swept under the rug as it is “directly remembered by modern Iranians because it is being constantly reinforced” through its own cultural activities, its politics, and its interaction between the rest of the world.
As Polk desired to reveal more of the true Iran and everything that influenced what it has become today, the result was success. He states in an easy to read manner how Iran did not live in a bubble. The world within the boundaries and the world without had huge impacts on what one sees if they walked the streets of the Iranian cities and villages today. He clearly shows how the past is the present redefined and matured whether it is seen in a good or a bad light. There is no doubt what Iran is. Misconceptions are easily tossed aside as Polk examines the evidence in an objective and concise manner. The book could easily have been three times the size it was published at, but Polk wrote in a manner that was not lengthy yet to the point. He takes a country that “has had one of the world’s richest and most fascinating historical experiences” and gives the reader a glimpse into that past without having to spend weeks reading volumes of material.
The book is set up in a manner that can be read just to learn more and not as an academic manner. This is beneficial in encouraging the learning of the history and culture of Iran while not limiting it to those in the upper educational classrooms. It is also laid out for easy search if one is using it for academic purposes with a well laid out index and an extensive notes sections as well as bibliography. The book alone would make a valuable resource tool, but it also helps the eager learner to explore further than the book in their hands.
Missing from the book was any additional material in the form of maps, charts, or images. The book is not designed too much for the visual learner. The layout of the chapter is not broken out in sections with headings for easy reading retention or for research. Much is absent that would help enhance the book or bring about a more in depth learning. The visual reinforcement is not present in this book.
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Nadia
45 reviews
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February 23, 2018
Fantastisk bog! Virkelig god beskrivelse af Iran gennem tiden, inklusiv de horrible overgreb landet har været igennem først fra Storbritannien og senere fra USA.
Det eneste der trækker ned ved bogen, er at William Polk ikke er typen der sætter sit lys under en skæppe - jeg har ikke en stor paratviden om Iran, så det var svært at forholde sig kritisk til hans beskrivelse af USAs diplomati under hans egen tid i administrationen. Min umiddelbare tanke er, at han har travlt ved håndvasken under dét kapitel...
gift history-historical-fiction
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Julie Ershadi
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June 9, 2014
It's an OK primer on the country, better for less controversial ancient and medieval history, but lacking in current affairs: SO BIASED in its overview of the disputed 2009 presidential elections, basically asks the reader to believe that Ahmadinejad probably really was elected fair and square. Doesn't even entertain the idea that Khamenei could've benefitted from rigging the vote, implies instead that the opposition was full of sore losers.
The book is also riddled with typos and other signs of subpar editing, such as chronological confusion when discussing some of the medieval dynasties.
Still, it's a pretty good read -- not too dry -- and definitely does help you to understand Iran's political, social and economic history better.
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Wendy
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July 14, 2015
I've just come back from two weeks travelling in Iran . I would highly recommend this book which is so well written, covering the complexities of a long and fascinating history and of recent events with an emphasis on American Iranian relationships . It was for me a " cant put down book " which is unusual for a non fiction . Iran is such a fascinating and important country .
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Amit
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September 21, 2020
We live in an era when the American government portrays Iran as a threat to the world, as a member of the Axis of evil, as theocracy in which every Friday evening millions chant, "Death to America" in houses of worship, a country with which it is impossible to have normal relations. Is this all true? and if it is partially true, then what lies behind it?
The author argues that we need to understand what has happened in Iran over the last 2,500 years to understand what is happening today, for this history lives in the collective subconsciousness of Iranian society. He starts with the pre-Islamic era when Persian power extended all the way to the Mediterranean and when the Persians believed in Zoroastrianism. He then describes how the Persian empire decayed and was run over by Arabs under the banner of Islam, Persia adapted. Its people converted to Islam voluntarily (this is an interesting insight, that the Arabs were not proselytizing), but they created their own version of Islam - Shia - and how Shia Islam builds on Zoroastrianism. He then describes how Shia Islam has been a central tenet of Iran for over thousand years, and what sets Iran apart from rest of the Islamic world.
Interestingly, Polk makes a case that throughout history, Iran's rulers have required the consent of its people to stay in power. It society has different power centers - Shia religious leaders, the military class represented by tribes and militias in the past, and merchants - and these power centers have competed for power. Over centuries, the ruling regime obtained the people's consent in different ways - by winning wars, by establishing royal lineage, or based on religion, sometimes all of these. According to Polk, even in the Islamic Republic, elections are relatively fair, and the political leadership is accountable to the people.
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Michael Ferrin
16 reviews
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August 30, 2021
(audiobook) Highly recommended. Polk provides an insider’s understanding of Iranian history, culture, and politics. The book is more than just a linear history. Polk constantly draws long term connections between historical events and explains how they have influenced Iranian culture and continue to influence current events. As far as current politics go, he is highly critical of sanctions and he argues that they are counterproductive since they don’t hurt the ruling elite so much as they hurt the poor and working classes and generate anti-American sentiments in Iran. Sadly, the book was written before Trump’s election so the nuclear deal was still in place and Polk was optimistic about its success, though he warned of the consequences should Obama’s successor abandon the deal (which of course is what happened). The narrator is also excellent. I don’t usually like when narrators do accents when reading quotes but Paul Boehmer doesn’t overdo the accents and convincingly performs British, French, German, and Persian accents. Further, his pronunciation of Persian and Arabic words is excellent, which is quite a relief from the usual butchering done by American narrators.
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Nathan
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April 13, 2020
While I can't say now that I necessarily "understand" Iran, I did learn a lot from reading this book. It primarily tells the history of the country from ancient times to modern in the first four chapters. The next two chapters focus on recent history, how the current political system developed and America's relationship with Iran. In an afterward, the author, who was a member of the Kennedy administration, points out flaws in the methodology for policy development and makes policy suggestions, some of which seem a bit unrealistic like nuclear disarmament in the Middle East. The author acknowledges the seeming unfeasibility of this but thinks it should be a long term goal. The book was written in 2009, ending with many things still up in the air about what could happen.
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Brandon Kyle
4.0 out of 5 stars Organizationally Challenged but Fascinating in its Concise Summary of Iranian History
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2012
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I'll have to agree with New Yorker. While Mr. Polk is clearly brilliant and has a vocabulary that is beyond reproach, the organization of the book is fairly poor. It proceeds in a somewhat chronological order but tends to jump around without warning. I like to think I have a decent short-term memory. But honestly, by the end of the book it is difficult to recall with any substantial detail the temporal order of the Shahs and the significance of their reins. Polk kind of jumps in and out of modern Iran and ancient Iran and there is a real stream-of-consciousness feel to the book. I wouldn't say it approaches the level of say, Albert Camus, but it is a pretty jumpy narrative. I'm about a quarter of the way through Stephen Kinzer's All the Shah's Men and it has been a much more straightforward summary of the Shahs and their reins as well as the origins and significance of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. However, it's difficult to say how much my impression of All the Shah's Men is informed by Mr. Polk's book, which I read first.
That said, there is much to love about Understanding Iran (and really, Iran in general). There are some fascinating details relative to the many, many events and conquests that ravaged Iran throughout history. If you went into the book relatively cold on Iranian history, like me, you would likely walk away from Understanding Iran with a significantly more informed comprehension of Iran's perception of the West and its race to become a nuclear country. Mr. Polk posits in his conclusion (and in his afterward) that the international community tends to avoid acts and threats of hostility or "preemption" toward countries that have acquired nuclear weapons. While this notion has a real Kenneth Waltz feel to it, Mr. Polk paints the deterrent effects of nuclearized countries in a way that may hold promise for U.S.-Iranian relations if Iran ever does acquire nukes.
The bottom line is that people truly concerned about the state of U.S.-Iranian relations - and especially those who have simply supported the neoconservative notion of preemptively attacking Iran without really taking a look at it's place in history - should read Understanding Iran to engender at least a cursory basis from which to inform their views.
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Daune Robinson
3.0 out of 5 stars Good historical summary but highly suspect for current "understanding" of the country.
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015
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Much of this book was fascinating and informative. Given the author's stated goal of basing current perspectives of Iran on its historical and cultural history I found the breadth of historical discussion well worth reading. I was raised in the Middle East, but as an american child in an american community so my understanding of the cultural issues of that part of the world needed some "filling in". This book helped with that. For most of the book I was impressed with the even handed approach the author took to the various leaders, and the development of the country we know today as Iran. And then I reached the last 20 pages. Suddenly the even handed, historically based book turned into a treatise on the awesomeness of Obama. Everything Obama did was good - everything Bush did was bad. Obama took action based on high, worthy principles - Bush acted on evil advice from neo-conservatives and right wing Israeli war mongers. I can't begin to describe my disappointment. Suddenly everything I read before the last few pages comes into question and I'm left wondering how much of this book was politically motivated and how much was accurately portrayed.
Please understand that I'm not a starry eyed worshipper of all things Bush, or neo-conservative, or only the US is great. But when any one aspect of our foreign relations is thoroughly demonized i have to wonder about the legitimacy of the writer. I found it interesting that in the end the author was touting the idea that rather than using either a "war games" or "fact based" approach to diplomacy (the only two methods currently used according to him) he felt that a thorough appreciation of the culture of a country should be the method used to determine how we engage with other countries. That sounds wonderful - although I would argue that that method alone is probably as flawed as either of the other two approaches he condemned as inadequate - but even as I was nodding my head I reached the point where he dismisses any concern over the religious influence over Iranian foreign policy. According to the author although Iran is a theocracy we don't need to worry about that too much because Shia Islam is eschatological. not messianic. At that point the book lost almost all credibility.
i would still recommend this book for the historical perspective. But if you are truly looking for a foreign policy approach that might help in current affairs - I'd look for a less obviously biased author.
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Z. A. Nusseibeh
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2017
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Excellent
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Billi Baloo
4.0 out of 5 stars Sehr informativ, aber teilweise zu detailliert
Reviewed in Germany on September 19, 2011
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Keine Frage: Da schreibt ein Kenner! Das Buch ist sehr informativ und mit wenigen Ausnahmen auch sehr gut lesbar. Manchmal nerven die Hinweise, bei welcher Gelegenheit der Autor welchen wichtigen Menschen getroffen hat, aber ich unterstelle ihm mal, dass er es nicht getan hat, um seine eigene Wichtigkeit hervorzuheben, sondern darzustellen, dass er den Iran sehr gut kennt. Gut fand ich die Hinweise bzgl. der persischen bzw. arabischen Sprache. Manches war zu detailliert beschrieben, aber das ist ja Geschmackssache. Wer sich intensiv mit dem Iran und seiner Geschichte befassen will/muss, sollte dieses Buch lesen!
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taji kurji
5.0 out of 5 stars Intrigue and power politics
Reviewed in Canada on July 2, 2016
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Very difficult and complex to understand and comprehend the dirty politics of the western and middle eastern countries.but fun to read
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Patrick Fuller
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2015
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Excellent historic perspective on Iran's long history and explains why it is as it is today vis-a-ivs the West.
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alex123
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read, gave me a better grasp and understanding ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2016
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Amazing read , gave me a better grasp and understanding of this country's amazing culture and history which is so full and rich . Loved it.
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