Iranian Ways of War

This book traces the long history of Irans wars, and the evolution of the Islamic Republics military trajectory since 1979. Ahmed Hashim draws on Farsi, Arabic and European sources to explore Irans efforts to create modern armed forces, the devastating Iran-Iraq War (1980-8), and Tehrans evolving fighting capabilities in Syria and Iraq. This analysis offers clues as to how Iran may fare--directly or by proxy--in future confrontations with its enemies, including the US and Israel. Above all, Iranian Ways of War addresses how Iran fights, and why. It offers a corrective to prevailing narratives about its bellicose character and alleged mischief-making throughout the Middle East and beyond. Hashim unpacks with nuance Irans milestone agreement to curb its nuclear weapons development, within the context of an unstable regional environment that is full of myriad enemies and complicating historical factors affecting Iranian decision-makers psyches. A long history of confrontation with America, and the feeling of perceived victimhood as a Shia entity in an overwhelmingly Sunni Middle East, have primed Iran for war.