Chain Reaction and Chaos: Toward Modern Persia

by Sadegh Shajari

Overview

In this new perspective, Iran’s quest for nuclear power—in the context of the global energy challenge and the Cold War-era nuclear arms race—takes on new dimension. This study goes beyond current affairs and analyzes interactions between the complex evolution of U.S. policy toward Iran and events in modern Iranian history that shape the determinants of Tehran’s foreign policy.
Today, the shockwaves of the cataclysm that became known as the Islamic Revolution have irrevocably transcended Iran’s frontiers. In the aftermath of the revolution, Afghanistan and Iraq were invaded, and the Republicans, who had gained power thanks to the hostage crisis, now had to shy away in light of the Iran-Contra scandal. The revolution was a byproduct of the great powers’ array of geostrategic moves following World War II.
This book explores the order that underlies Iran’s chaotic dynamics that have potential to bring about unintended results. The best example of this is President Carter’s human rights policy, which, unexpectedly, via strange attractor dynamics, led to the fall of the Shah that marked the end of the U.S. twin-pillar policy in the Persian Gulf.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761865216
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	12/22/2014
Pages:	318
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Sadegh Shajari is a former senior official at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), advisor to Iran’s vice president, as well as associate professor and member of Iran’s Scientific Research Council. Under the Shah of Iran, Shajari was among the young PhD science and engineering graduates of Western universities whom the AEOI sought and absorbed.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. Global Systemic Explosion
2. A Tri-polar Culture
3. A Happy Beginning
4. A Dramatic Climax
5. Red Flags in America
6. Fatal Mistakes and Failure
7. A Tectonic Shift
8. On the Brink of the Abyss
9. Inflexion Point and Beyond

1. Lost in the Labyrinth of the Nuclear World
2. The Silk Road
3. The Soviet Orbit
4. The Rising Tide
5. Technical Challenges
6. Diplomatic Games
7. The Gathering Storm
8. Dark Energy and Black Propaganda
9. Going Critical
10. Isostatic Subsidense
11. Future Blooms under Storm

Index

Editorial Reviews

Sadegh Shajari’s book on nuclear Iran represents a remarkable contribution to our understanding of what is at stake. The credibility of this book is rooted in that of its author. A trained nuclear scientist, Shajari has since the days of the Shah been directly implicated in Iranian nuclear policy. He continued his involvement in the nuclear activities of the Islamic Republic before breaking with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Still preoccupied by the current situation, the author is a strong advocate for a denuclearized Middle East.

Bernard Ravenel