The Iran Wars
Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals That Reshaped the Middle East
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Narrated by:
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Rob Shapiro
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By:
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Jay Solomon
About this listen
From Qasem Soleimani to the nuclear deal, a deeply reported exploration of Iran’s decades-long power struggle with the United States - in the tradition of Steve Coll’s Ghost Wars and Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower
“A front-row view of the spy games, assassinations, political intrigue and high-stakes diplomacy that have defined relations with one of America’s most cunning and dangerous foes.” (Joby Warrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS)
For more than a decade, the United States has been engaged in a war with Iran as momentous as any other in the Middle East - a war all the more significant as it has largely been hidden from public view. Through a combination of economic sanctions, global diplomacy, and intelligence work, successive US administrations have struggled to contain Iran’s aspirations to become a nuclear power and dominate the region - what many view as the most serious threat to peace in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran has used regional instability to its advantage to undermine America’s interests. The Iran Wars is an absorbing account of a battle waged on many levels - military, financial, and covert.
Jay Solomon’s book is the product of extensive in-depth reporting and interviews with all the key players in the conflict - from high-ranking Iranian officials to Secretary of State John Kerry and his negotiating team. With a reporter’s masterly investigative eye and the narrative dexterity of a great historian, Solomon shows how Iran’s nuclear development went unnoticed for years by the international community only to become its top security concern. He catalogs the blunders of both the Bush and Obama administrations as they grappled with how to engage Iran, producing a series of both carrots and sticks. And he takes us inside the hotel suites where the 2015 nuclear agreement was negotiated, offering a frank assessment of the uncertain future of the US-Iran relationship.
This is a book rife with revelations, from the secret communications between the Obama administration and the Iranian government to dispatches from the front lines of the new field of financial warfare. The Iran Wars exposes the hidden history of a conflict whose outcome could have far-reaching geopolitical implications.
©2016 Jay Solomon (P)2016 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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"An illuminating, deeply reported account from one of the best journalists writing about the Middle East today. Jay Solomon's The Iran Wars offers a front-row view of the spy games, assassinations, political intrigue and high-stakes diplomacy that have defined relations with one of America's most cunning and dangerous foes." (Joby Warrick, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS)
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The Endgame
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- By: Michael R. Gordon, Bernard E. Trainor
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 32 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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The Endgame is Michael R. Gordon and General Bernard E. Trainor's most ambitious and news-breaking book to date. A peerless work of investigative journalism and historical recreation ranging from 2003 to 2012, it gives us the first comprehensive, inside account of arguably the most widely reported yet least understood war in American history - from the occupation of Iraq to the withdrawal of American troops.
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Interesting Perspective, but One-Sided
- By Benjamin on 02-09-14
By: Michael R. Gordon, and others
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A World of Trouble
- The White House and the Middle East
- By: Patrick Tyler
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 27 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Middle East is the beginning and the end of U.S. foreign policy: events there influence our alliances, make or break presidencies, govern the price of oil, and draw us into war. But it was not always so - and as Patrick Tyler shows in this thrilling chronicle of American misadventures in the region, the story of American presidents' dealings there is one of mixed motives, skulduggery, deceit, and outright foolishness, as well as of policymaking and diplomacy.
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Does't deliver
- By Matthew on 02-10-09
By: Patrick Tyler
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In the Graveyard of Empires
- America’s War in Afghanistan
- By: Seth G. Jones
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Following September 11, the United States successfully overthrew the Taliban regime. It established security throughout the country, and Afghanistan finally began to emerge from more than two decades of conflict. But Jones argues that, as early as 2001, planning for the Iraq War siphoned off resources and talented personnel, undermining the gains that had been made. After eight years, the United States had pushed al-Qaeda’s headquarters about one hundred miles across the border into Pakistan.
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Interesting Book but- Worst Narrator Ever
- By Mark C on 01-08-11
By: Seth G. Jones
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Chain of Command
- The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib
- By: Seymour M. Hersh
- Narrated by: Peter Friedman
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Abridged
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Since September 11, 2001, Seymour M. Hersh has riveted readers, and outraged the Bush Administration, with his stories in The New Yorker magazine, including his breakthrough pieces on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. Now, in Chain of Command, he brings together this reporting, along with new revelations, to answer the critical question of the last three years: how did America get from that clear morning in September to a divisive and dirty war in Iraq?
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Absolutely Fantastic
- By Nicholas on 10-12-04
By: Seymour M. Hersh
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Known and Unknown
- A Memoir
- By: Donald Rumsfeld
- Narrated by: Donald Rumsfeld
- Length: 30 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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A powerful memoir from the late former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. With the same directness that defined his career in public service, Rumsfeld's memoir is filled with previously undisclosed details and insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also features Rumsfeld's unique and often surprising observations on eight decades of history. Both a fascinating narrative and an unprecedented glimpse into history, Known and Unknown captures the legacy of one of the most influential men in public service.
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Inside view of five decades in politics
- By Brooks on 02-19-11
By: Donald Rumsfeld
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The Making of the Atomic Bomb
- 25th Anniversary Edition
- By: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 37 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Here for the first time, in rich human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside the atom to the dropping of the first bombs on Japan. Few great discoveries have evolved so swiftly - or have been so misunderstood. From the theoretical discussions of nuclear energy to the bright glare of Trinity, there was a span of hardly more than 25 years.
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Beware limitations of the reader
- By JFanson on 01-01-19
By: Richard Rhodes
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The Longest War
- America and Al-Qaeda Since 9/11
- By: Peter L. Bergen
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Longest War, Peter Bergen offers a comprehensive history of this war and its evolution, from the strategies devised in the wake of the 9/11 attacks to the fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and beyond. Weaving together internal documents from al-Qaeda and the U.S. offices of counterterrorism, first-person interviews with top-level jihadists and senior Washington officials, along with his own experiences on the ground in the Middle East, Bergen balances the accounts of each side.
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More Bush bashing..yes, but still worth reading.
- By Dennis on 01-18-11
By: Peter L. Bergen
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Magnificent Delusions
- Pakistan, the United States, and an Epic History of Misunderstanding
- By: Husain Haqqani
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A character-driven history that describes the bizarrely ill-suited alliance between America and Pakistan, written by a uniquely insightful participant: Pakistan's former ambassador to the US. The relationship between America and Pakistan is based on mutual incomprehension, and always has been. Pakistan - to American eyes - has gone from being a stabilizing friend to an essential military ally to a seedbed of terror.
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It it Delusions or Sleeping with the Enemy
- By Shah Alam on 01-28-14
By: Husain Haqqani
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The Sorrows of Empire
- Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic
- By: Chalmers Johnson
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Recalling the classic warnings against militarism, from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex, Johnson explores the trend of militarism that is bankrupting the United States and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback.
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A must read.
- By Thomas on 02-07-15
By: Chalmers Johnson
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Your Government Failed You
- Breaking the Cycle of National Security Disasters
- By: Richard A. Clarke
- Narrated by: Richard A. Clarke
- Length: 10 hrs and 25 mins
- Abridged
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In Your Government Failed You, Clarke looks at why failures have continued and how America and the world can succeed against the terrorists. But Clarke goes beyond terrorism to examine the recurring U.S. government disasters. Despite the lessons of Vietnam, we've gotten involved in Iraq. Drawing on his 30 years in the White House, Pentagon, State Department, and Intelligence Community, Clarke discovers patterns in the failure and suggests ways to stop the cycle.
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Stellar Criticism
- By Tim on 04-01-09
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The Hundred-Year Marathon
- China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower
- By: Michael Pillsbury
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the US government's leading China experts reveals the hidden strategy fueling that country's rise - and how Americans have been seduced into helping China overtake us as the world's leading superpower.
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Fascinating perspective.
- By Rocky Mackintosh on 01-05-17
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Great story, but ignores the economic side
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required reading
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Excellent account of a pivotal and sad time
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required reading
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What listeners say about The Iran Wars
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- rash
- 10-15-19
Insightful
This work paints a broader picture of the conflicting interests of Iran and the U.S. The DIME IOPs are all at work here.
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- MindinMotion
- 05-29-18
Solid recounting by knowledgeable writer
A very fair account given the perceived conservative bias of the WSJ that Solomon writes for. This recounts the successes and failures of our decades old relationship with Iran and leaves one with an understanding of both sides. Well worth the time.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Michael Friedman
- 05-03-17
An important history of the Iran Nuclear Deal
This important book chronicles the history of US/Iranian relations since the 1979 revolution and does an excellent job of describing the amazingly complex process that resulted in the Iran nuclear deal. It is a far from perfect agreement and only time will tell if it will serve its purpose of opening up Iran, preventing nuclear proliferation and stopping a war in the Mideast. This book also describes how interrelated, complex and difficult the process was to bring Iran to the bargaining table. The ability to bring our allies, especially Europe, on board with tremendous banking sanctions coupled with balancing diplomacy with our other allies (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Israel, etc.) makes one hope that he best of the best can direct our countries towards peace in the coming years. Mr. Solomon was a participant as a journalist and historian during these years and his views are important and well written.
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4 people found this helpful
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- JL
- 01-06-20
great and accurate historical Of Iran
perfect historical recent of Iran. interested to read more of this author. It is great
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1 person found this helpful
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- Blake Dahl
- 12-27-16
Scholarly Work
Good Book but definitely more of a historical scholarly work than one meant for entertainment
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- Ernie Acosta
- 05-21-17
Interesting and Insightfull Without Anti-US Bias
What did you love best about The Iran Wars?
Well substantiated story without opinion. Allows the reader to develop his own opinion regarding US policy to countering Iran. Very interesting to learn about the strategy behind economic sanctions and the manner in which they are implemented.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Luis Lara
- 05-15-17
Great Overview into a chaotic arena
Solomon provides a brief historical overview of the events leading up to the controversial nuclear agreement with Iran. This book only helped to stir even more interest on this infamous agreement.
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- Robert Russell
- 04-27-17
A book lending exceptional context and background
A book lending exceptional context concerning a set of extremely difficult issues. Well researched and well written.
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- Ashley Celestine
- 09-17-16
Inside to the Iran-US relations
Excellent in-debt book! What the media doesn't tell about the two countries relationship with each other.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Sushanth R
- 11-16-16
Iran demystified
What made the experience of listening to The Iran Wars the most enjoyable?
The inner details of complex international negotiations were revealed in an engaging manner.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The author being a professional journalist has covered the story thoroughly. Its an ongoing episode and the longterm repercussions are not fully understood. History would decide the winners and losers.
Which scene was your favorite?
All scenes related to negotiations that lasted close to three years.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Green Movement
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2 people found this helpful