Rise and Fall of the Shah

Amin Saikal is professor of political science and director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (Middle East and Central Asia) at the Australian National University. His recent books include "Islam and the West: Conflict or Cooperation?" and "Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival".

"A sober, scholarly study of the place of Iran in world politics, of the 53-year reign of the Pahlavi family and of the effects of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi's dependence on the United States."--New York Times "[A] scholar's measured assessment, based on knowledge of the country and of Persian sources, and skillful in its interweaving of domestic and international factors."--Foreign Affairs "[T]he best single volume on contemporary Iran."--Shahram Chubin, International Affairs "Saikal's book achieves a high level of specificity and detail while remaining easily readable and therefore it is a handy academic resource as well as an accessible text for a general audience."--Pascal Abidor, Political Studies Review "Saikal updates this edition with an excellent introduction devoted to the dynamics of contemporary politics in the Islamic Republic and Iran's nuclear ambitions... [T]his study, still timely after three decades, naturally invites comparisons between the autocratic shah and his equally repressive successors."--Jonathan G. Katz, The Historian