"The bestselling author of The Secretary tells the gripping story of the real roots of the Sunni-Shia conflict in Middle East in the 1979 Iran Revolution that changed the region forever"--

This deeply informed book considers the intertwined roles of faith, force, and finance in shaping the modern Middle East. Leading expert Monte Palmer argues that these factors will continue to have a major impact on the Middle East as the United States and other major powers increasingly find themselves embedded in conflicts that defy resolution. Palmer considers the lessons learned from past and current conflicts: the limits of using tyrants as avenues...

"One of the greatest unanswered questions after the massive and violent changes that hit the Middle East in 2011, known to some as the "Arab Spring" and to others as the "Islamist Winter, " is how the West failed to predict both cataclysmic seasons in world affairs and to meet their challenges. The so-called spring didn't last long, quickly unraveling into a collection of civil wars, civil unrest, and secessions. Phares argues that Washington is too...