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A timely and rigorous analysis of a half-century of American policymakers' shifting perceptions of Iran, and how they have driven US-Iran relations.
US–Iran hostility has endured for longer than the Cold War. Momentous geopolitical shifts, changing leaderships, and evolving domestic priorities have not fundamentally altered this antagonistic relationship. Standard explanations pin the blame for this enduring hostility on Iran and its leaders' revolutionary ideology and policies at odds with the United States and the West. While Iran bears significant blame for a deeply adversarial relationship—the country often engages in dangerous and repressive activities—this book demonstrates that "it's them, not us" accounts cannot alone explain America's posture toward this complicated but critically important country. Drawing on original interviews with former government officials, oral histories, memoirs, congressional hearings, archival material, and the author's own participation in dozens of Iran-related track two meetings, Dalia Dassa Kaye deftly explores how America's Iran policy is made, the people who make it, and the underlying ideas and perceptions that inform it. Dassa Kaye looks back at US policy toward Iran over the past four decades to help us look ahead, offering wider lessons for understanding American foreign policymaking and providing critical insights at a pivotal time of heightened military tensions in and around the Middle East.
"Enduring Hostility fills an important gap in our understanding of the troubled relationship between Iran and the United States. Digging deep into history, and drawing on new evidence, Dalia Dassa Kaye finds that American policy towards Iran is, at its core, 'homegrown.' A thoughtful, readable, and important analysis for anyone interested in the contemporary Middle East." —Janice Gross Stein, University of Toronto
"Dalia Dassa Kaye's highly readable account of US–Iran relations since the Iranian Revolution considers why successive American administrations have only made half-hearted efforts to transform that relationship: in part because the default position—Iran is an implacable foe—reflects the perceptions and interests of many US players. A must-read for Middle East watchers." —Ellen Laipson, George Mason University
"Kaye explores this history to try to understand why détente, which proved possible even with the Soviet Union, has been impossible to achieve with Iran. Her answers—inertia, risk aversion, and lobbying from domestic and foreign groups—paint a sorry picture of Washington's capacity to act in the national interest." —Lisa Anderson, Foreign Affairs
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Iran as the Ultimate Rogue
1. The Elusive Search for Iranian Moderates
2. From Sidelining to Containment
3. Parallel Universes
4. The Obamacare of Foreign Policy
5. The Worst Deal Ever
6. Death by Slow-Walking
Conclusion: Change Is Hard
Notes
Index