
The Devil We Know
Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower
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Narrated by:
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Ted Barker
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By:
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Robert Baer
Over the past 30 years, while the United States has turned either a blind or dismissive eye, Iran has emerged as a nation every bit as capable of altering America's destiny as traditional superpowers Russia and China. Indeed, one of this audiobook's central arguments is that, in some ways, Iran's grip on America's future is even tighter.
As ex-CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows, Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting America's false perceptions of what Iran is - by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations.
The reality is much more frightening - and yet contained in the potential catastrophe is an implicit political response that, if we're bold enough to adopt it, could avert disaster.
Baer's on-the-ground sleuthing and interviews with key Middle East players - everyone from an Iranian ayatollah to the king of Bahrain to the head of Israel's internal security - paint a picture of the centuries-old Shia nation that is starkly the opposite of the one normally drawn. For example, Iran's hate-spouting President Ahmadinejad is by no means the true spokesman for Iranian foreign policy, nor is Iran making it the highest priority to become a nuclear player.
Even so, Baer has discovered that Iran is currently engaged in a soft takeover of the Middle East, that the proxy method of war-making and co-option it perfected with Hezbollah in Lebanon is being exported throughout the region, that Iran now controls a significant portion of Iraq, that it is extending its influence over Jordan and Egypt, that the Arab Emirates and other Gulf States are being pulled into its sphere, and that it will shortly have a firm hold on the world's oil spigot.
By mixing anecdotes with information gleaned from clandestine sources, Baer superbly demonstrates that Iran, far from being a wild-eyed rogue state, is a rational actor - one skilled in the game of nations and so effective at thwarting perceived Western colonialism that even rival Sunnis relish fighting under its banner.
For US policy makers, the choices have narrowed: either cede the world’s most important energy corridors to a nation that can match us militarily with its asymmetric capabilities (which include the use of suicide bombers) - or deal with the devil we know. We might just find that in allying with Iran, we’ll have increased not just our own security, but that of all Middle East nations. The alternative - to continue goading Iran into establishing hegemony over the Muslim world - is too chilling to contemplate.
©2008 Robert Baer (P)2008 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...




















Critic reviews
"An important text studded with keen insights into a nation about which America remains dangerously misinformed." ( Kirkus Reviews)
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Must read for anyone with an interest in World affairs.
Baer at his best
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Blueprint for Middle East solutions
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yet a former CIA is a man that has blood on his hand and he talks about it even.
it'll give you an idea about how does the US looks at other countries. and how the u.s. is only interested in what is good for the u.s. not what is good for the world as they claim.
the Arthur looks at the Arabs and Sunni Muslims as trash . and that the u.s. should collaborate with Iran for the best of the u.s.
shocking
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Insightful by someone who's been there...
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Conclusions
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Great read
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The book is also well narrated.
Another outstanding effort by Baer.
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RETHINKING IRAN
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I do recommend this as a 'must read' for anyone interested in a very real view of Middle East events.
Great book but...
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بسیار کتاب عالیست.
Smashing
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