Iran on the Brink

In this summary you will learn

• What the origins of modern Iran are
• What political forces have shaped Iran’s ruling Islamic party
• What Iran’s current economic and political status is

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Why you should read Iran on the Brink

Andreas Malm and Shora Esmailian provide a thorough if leftist history of the fall of the Shah of Iran and the rise of the ayatollahs. Their political perspective weights this complex story as they delve into the political parties, conflicts, motives and factional disputes that brought the ayatollahs to power. Today, Iran has a very complicated political environment as Communist and U.S. ideologies confront radical Islam. The authors reach a few odd conclusions, fall into hackneyed rhetoric about the bourgeoisie, and present very tainted views of Israel, though, if you must quote Ahmadinejad to meet your book’s purpose, it’s hard to avoid rhetoric straight from the source’s mouth. The authors know Iran and analyze its politics in depth. They provide background on the leftist labor parties, their interactions with Islamic radicals, and Iran’s controversial nuclear and oil policies. getAbstract thinks that those who read this with an awareness of its filters will find a telling, alternative perspective on a dangerous problem.

About the Authors

Andreas Malm and Shora Esmailian are editors at Arbeteren, Sweden’s major progressive weekly newspaper. Malm is the author and editor of several books in Swedish. Esmailian is an Iranian journalist and activist living in Sweden.