Iran in the 21st Century

<p>Iran is an ancient country, an oil-exporting economy and an Islamic Republic. It experienced two full-scale revolutions in the twentieth century, the latter of which had large and important regional and international consequences, including an eight-year war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. And now in the twenty-first century, it confronts issues and experiences problems which have important implications for its future development and external relations.</p><p>Featuring outstanding contributions from leading sociologists, social anthropologists, political scientists and economists in the field of Iranian studies, this book is the first to examine Iran and its position in the contemporary world.</p><p>In developing this argument, topics examined include:</p><ul> <li>social developments in the country including gender relations</li> <li>contemporary politics</li> <li>international relations</li> <li>relations with the US and Israel</li> <li>nuclear weapons and energy programmes</li> <li>oil and the development of the economy.</li> </ul> <p>1. Introduction: Iran in the 21st Century: Politics, Economics and Confrontation <em>Homa</em> <em>Katouzian and Hossein Shahidi</em> <strong>National Identity and National Interests</strong> 2. Crafting a National Identity amidst Contentious Politics in Contemporary Iran <em>Farideh Farhi</em> 3. The Dilemma of National Interest in the Islamic Republic of Iran <em>Hamid Ahmadi</em> 4. From Multilingual Empire to Contested Modern State <em>Touraj Atabaki</em> <strong>Dissent</strong> 5. Three Faces of Dissent: Cognitive, Expressive and Traditionalist Discourses of Discontent in Contemporary Iran <em>Mahmood Sadri and Ahmad Sadri</em> 6. From Motherhood to Equal Rights Advocates: The Weakening of Patriarchal Order <em>Azadeh Kian Thébaut</em> <strong>Foreign Policy Challenges</strong> 7. Iran and the United States in the Shadow of 9/11: Persia and the Persian Question Revisited <em>Ali Ansari</em> 8. A Look to the North: Opportunities and Challenges <em>Farhad Atai</em> 9. Israel-Iranian Relations Assessed: Strategic Competition from the Power Cycle Perspective <em>Trita Parsi</em> <strong>Nuclear Policy </strong>10. Nuclear Policy and International Relations <em>Saideh Lotfian</em> 11. Nuclear Energy: A Case for Sustainable Development <em>Mehdi Askarieh</em> <strong>Economic Performance </strong>12. Oil, Economic Diversification and the Democratic Process in Iran <em>Massoud Karshenas and Hassan Hakimian</em> 13. Capital Accumulation and Economic Growth in Iran: Past Experience and Future Prospects <em>Ahmad Jalali Naini</em> 14. Human Resources in Iran: Potentials and Challenges <em>Djavad Saleh-Isfahni</em> 15. The Significance of Economic History and the Fundamental Features of the Economic History of Iran <em>Homa Katouzian</em> </p>