Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic

December 4, 2006, 9:30am – 11:00am

About This Event

Daily news reports—about proliferation concerns, support for terrorism, and increasing Iranian influence in Iraq—underscore that Iran remains a fundamental concern for American foreign policy. At the same time, however, there is limited understanding of Iran, the factions that influence its government, and the debates, power struggles, and rivalries that have shaped Iranian policy and behavior for decades. In Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic, Ray Takeyh has written a book that goes a long way to correcting this misunderstanding. A leading expert on Iran's politics and history, Takeyh shows why Iran has so often confounded American expectations. Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, calls Takeyh's book "the single best guide to understanding modern Iran." Such a book could not be more timely or more important.

Please join Tom Daschle, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Ray Takeyh for a discussion of Hidden Iran and U.S.-Iran relations.

Featured Speakers:
Ray Takeyh, Author, Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic
Senator Tom Daschle, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW
Washington, DC 20005

Biographies

Ray Takeyh is the author of Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic (Times Books, 2006) and a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. His areas of specialization are Iran, political reform in the Middle East, and Islamist movements and parties. He is also a contributing editor of The National Interest. Dr. Takeyh was previously professor of national security studies at the National War College; professor and director of studies at the Near East and South Asia Center, National Defense University; fellow in international security studies at Yale University; fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, University of California-Berkeley.

In addition to Hidden Iran, Dr. Takeyh is the author of two previous books, The Receding Shadow of the Prophet: The Rise and Fall of Radical Political Islam (Praeger Publishers, 2004) and The Origins of the Eisenhower Doctrine: The U.S., Britain and Nasser’s Egypt, 1953–1957 (MacMillan Press, 2000). Dr. Takeyh has published widely, including articles in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Survival, World Policy Journal, Washington Quarterly, Orbis, Middle East Journal, and Middle East Policy. His commentary has also been featured in many newspapers, including The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Financial Times, and The International Herald Tribune. Dr. Takeyh has testified frequently at various congressional committees and has appeared on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, The Charlie Rose Show, NBC, CBS, CNN, BBC, FOX, and C-SPAN. Dr. Takeyh earned a doctorate in modern history from Oxford University in 1997.

Senator Tom Daschle is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Sen. Daschle's work for the Center focuses on health care policy and global economic, security and health issues. Sen. Daschle is also a Special Policy Advisor in Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C. office and a member of the Legislative and Public Policy Group. As a non-attorney, Sen. Daschle focuses his services on advising the firm’s clients on issues related to all aspects of public policy with a particular emphasis on issues related to financial services, health care, energy, telecommunications, and taxes. In addition, he advises on trade and international matters.

With more than 25 years of service in the House of Representatives and the Senate and 10 years as Senate Democratic Leader, Sen. Daschle has played an instrumental role in the development of U.S. legislative and regulatory policy. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served until 1986 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate from South Dakota. In his first year, he was appointed to the powerful Senate Finance Committee, an unusual honor for a freshman. He became Minority Leader of the Senate in 1994 and Majority Leader in 2001. He is the second longest serving Democratic Leader in history. During his tenure in Washington, D.C., he served as co-chair of the Democratic Policy Committee and the Democratic Conference. Sen. Daschle served for three years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force Strategic Command. After military service, he spent five years as an aide to South Dakota Senator James Abourezk. Sen. Daschle attended South Dakota State University and graduated in 1969.