Reza Shah, the Modernizing Strongman

This chapter explores the legacy of Reza Shah, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty—the last dynasty to rule over Iran. It provides an overview of key military and other reforms undertaken by the king to modernize his country, as well as their implications for the advent of the modern state of Iran. The chapter also discusses how Reza Shah’s reign laid out the foundations for the rise of the Islamic Republic

Introduction

The Introduction lays out the groundwork for the book. It introduces the topic and the author’s argument, provides an overview of the problem at hand, and surveys the existing literature. The book argues that far from a clear and complete break from the past, Iran’s security thinking and policies since the Islamic Revolution have been marked by key elements of continuity. This continuity, Tabatabai posits, is due to the country’s lessons learned from its historical experiences, to include war and peace, as well as diplomatic efforts, which have shaped the contours of Iranian decision-makers’ thinking for generations.

The Rise and Fall of the Qajars

This chapter provides a brief overview of the reign of the Qajars and its impact on Iran’s contemporary history. It focuses on the implications of the Qajar era for Iran’s military affairs, foreign policy, and security thinking. The chapter surveys the Russo-Persian Wars, Iran’s relations with and balancing efforts with regard to key powers—including Britain, Russia, and France—and the Constitutional Revolution.

The Last King

This chapter looks at the life of the last king to rule over Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and his security thinking. The chapter surveys key reforms undertaken in this period, particularly those pertaining to national and internal security and military affairs. The chapter also discusses the 1953 coup and the emerging forces opposing the Shah and his reforms, as well as how the Shah shaped Iran’s current security thinking and policies.

Conclusion

The Conclusion answers questions first posed in the Introduction pertaining to the drivers shaping Iran’s national security thinking and policies, including its nuclear and missile programs, support for armed militias and terrorist groups, and regional interventions. It argues that the elements of continuity described throughout the book demonstrate that the core assumption held in the scholarship on revolutions—according to which revolutions necessarily mark a total departure from the part—may not capture the complexity of countries’ national security thinking. And Conclusion also discusses the policy implications of this finding and warns that a different regime in Iran may not act fundamentally differently from the current one as many may hope.

They Were Expendable

This chapter discusses the Iran-Iraq War and its implications for Iran’s security thinking and military affairs. It posits that the country’s experience with the wars it fought in the Qajar era shaped its thinking as pertaining to this conflict and that the Iran-Iraq War in turn has drawn the contours of much of Iran’s security thinking since then. The chapter also assesses how the war led to the Islamic Republic following in on the Shah’s footsteps and resuming and accelerating many key programs and projects started decades prior.

The Revolution

This chapter provides an overview of the Islamic Revolution. It explores the roots of the revolution and the forces that shaped it. In particular, the chapter focuses on the elements of Iran’s national and internal security policies that both helped usher in the Islamic Republic and those that the assumptions the revolution reinforced within Iran’s leadership and populace.

The Revolution Matures (1988–2001)

This chapter surveys the period of reconstruction after the Iran-Iraq War. It discusses how the regime consolidated power and undertook key reforms in the security and military sectors to ensure its survival in the aftermath of the war and the transition of power from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The chapter argues that this period was instrumental in allowing the regime to lay out the groundwork for the next phase of the revolution: Its expansion.

The Revolution Expands

This final chapter assesses Iran’s national security thinking and policies today. It discusses Tehran’s contemporary military interventions, from Afghanistan to Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. It also engages the contentious Iranian nuclear file and the regime’s tumultuous relationship with the United States and its regional partners from President George W. Bush to President Donald Trump and his decision to kill Qassem Soleimani.