`Siavush Randjbar-Daemi has an obvious mastery of both the sources and the detail... [he is] among the brightest of the emerging scholars working on modern Iranian history.' - ALI ANSARI, PROFESSOR OF MODERN HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS, `Siavush's work is outstanding... His approach is also highly original, so it will be a significant new addition to the literature on the subject... I would highly recommend his book to anyone with an interest in the politics of Iran, including journalists, foreign affairs experts of many kinds, academics, students and many English-speaking Iranians.' - VANESSA MARTIN, PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY, ROYAL HOLLOWAY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, `[This book] succeeds in bringing out the ways in which the distinctive office of the presidency in Iran operates in a maze of institutions that are themselves shot through with personal ties and relationships... very well written and a pleasure to read.' - CHARLES TRIPP, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, SCHOOL OF ORIENTAL AND AFRICAN STUDIES (SOAS), UNIVERSITY OF LONDON, `Highly recommended... this book is thoroughly researched... well written, and highly focused on an important topic in contemporary Iran.' - ERVAND ABRAHAMIAN, DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR EMERITUS OF MIDDLE EAST HISTORY, CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK (CUNY)