Long War on Iran

Behrooz Ghamari is affiliated with the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of Toronto. He was Professor and Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Studies and Director of the Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at Princeton University from 2020 to 2024. He is the author of three books on different aspects and historical context of the Iranian revolution of 1979 and its aftermath: Islam and Dissent in Post-Revolutionary Iran (2008); Foucault in Iran: Islamic Revolution after the Enlightenment (2016); and Remembering Akbar: Inside the Iranian Revolution, OR Books (2016).

“Brimming with insight, this book expertly demystifies Iran.”—Vali Nasr“Ghamari parts the dark veil surrounding Iran, allowing us to finally see through the fog of mystification and misdirection that has warped our perception of one of the world’s most dangerously misunderstood societies.”—Jeffrey St. Clair“The book weaves personal memory with political analysis, arguing that Iran is better understood as a fractured society shaped by trauma, fear and competing hopes rather than ideological fanaticism alone.”—The Sri Lankan Guardian“Behrooz Ghamari was a death row prisoner in 1984, during the Iran-Iraq War, nearly dying of Lymphoma. He survived to tell the story. It is also the story . . . of a country misused and abused, from within and outside.”—Le Monde Diplomatique“Blending personal experience with sharp analysis, the book invites readers to rethink entrenched narratives and view Iran through a more nuanced political lens.”—The Daily Star“A vital and fascinating read.”—Stylist Magazine“Offers a perspective rarely heard in mainstream Western coverage: that opposing authoritarianism at home does not translate into support for foreign military intervention.”—Scheerpost“A timely and important critical intervention into decades of failed US policy toward Iran.”—Middle East Journal