
Wars of Ambition
The United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
3 months free
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Fajer Al-Kaisi
-
By:
-
Afshon Ostovar
About this listen
The September 11 attacks upended America’s relatively strong influence in the Middle East and prompted President George W. Bush’s plan to remake the region through a war in Iraq. By bringing liberal democracy to Iraq, Bush hoped that the country would be a springboard for the spread of democracy to neighboring authoritarian states. Yet the war’s disruption created an opportunity for Iran to advance its own opposing ambitions—one that would turn the Middle East into a bastion of resistance to Western hegemony and bring an end to Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. The resulting clash not only intensified the Iraq War, it reverberated in states across the region. With the outbreak of new conflicts, the US-Iranian showdown became entwined in a much more complex struggle, one which drew in other regional and foreign powers that all pursued differing agendas.
In Wars of Ambition, Afshon Ostovar explores the evolution of the metastasizing conflict as it unfolded over a span of more than two decades. Not just an account of the interaction between America’s Middle East policies and ambitious regional states on the receiving end, it also provides a powerful analysis of conflicting visions of the future that transcend regional politics. With Iran’s rise and its revisionist campaign running in concert with those of Russia and China, the contest for the Middle East has become a microcosm of a larger geopolitical battle between those aiming to preserve the American-led global order and those seeking to overturn it—and thus reflective of an emergent multipolar world.
“Afshon Ostovar is among the most astute Iran scholars of his generation. His thoughtful analysis will enlighten both new students of Iran as well as senior US policymakers.”—Karim Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Eurasian Century
- Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern Century
- By: Hal Brands
- Narrated by: Tim Fannon
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hal Brands argues that a better understanding of Eurasia's strategic geography can illuminate the contours of rivalry and conflict in today's world. The Eurasian Century explains how revolutions in technology and warfare, and the rise of toxic ideologies of conquest, made Eurasia the center of twentieth-century geopolitics—with pressing implications for the struggles that will define the twenty-first.
-
-
Worth the read.
- By Chip Eckert on 02-24-25
By: Hal Brands
-
Iran's Grand Strategy
- A Political History
- By: Vali Nasr
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iran presents one of the most significant foreign policy challenges for America and the West, yet very little is known about what the country's goals really are. Vali Nasr examines Iran's political history in new ways to explain its actions and ambitions on the world stage, showing how, behind the veneer of theocracy and Islamic ideology, today's Iran is pursuing a grand strategy aimed at securing the country internally and asserting its place in the region and the world.
-
-
Appreciate focus on NatSec policy development.
- By Matthew James Johnson on 06-22-25
By: Vali Nasr
-
Spies and Lies
- How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World
- By: Alex Joske
- Narrated by: James Daniel Burkdoll
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spies and Lies a groundbreaking expose of elite influence operations by China's little-known Ministry of State Security. Revealing for the first time how the Chinese Communist Party has tasked its spies to deceive the world, it challenges the conventional account of China's past, present, and future.
-
-
Beware of the MSS
- By Reed Ramlow on 03-08-24
By: Alex Joske
-
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence
- A Concise History
- By: Steven R. Ward
- Narrated by: Bob Johnson
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steven R. Ward provides an accessible overview of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and its focus on tracking and countering domestic dissent and perceived foreign-inspired sedition. The ministry's checkered record of effective intelligence operations includes a history of assassinations and human rights abuses. Developing a clearer picture of the MOIS is important for understanding how the Islamic Republic of Iran operates, seeks security, and competes with its adversaries.
By: Steven R. Ward
-
Death Is Our Business
- Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare
- By: John Lechner
- Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dually armed with military and strategic prowess, the Wagner Group created a new market in a vast geopolitical landscape increasingly receptive to the promises of private actors. In this trailblazing account of the Group’s origins and operations, John Lechner—the only journalist to report across its many warzones—brings us on the ground to witness Wagner partner with fragile nation states, score access to natural resources, oust peacekeeping missions, and cash in on conflicts reframed as Kremlin interests.
-
-
An indepth, analysis and account of the rise and fall of Wagner
- By Daniel Gutierrez on 03-16-25
By: John Lechner
-
The CIA Intelligence Analyst
- Views from the Inside
- By: Roger Z. George - edited by, Robert Levine - edited by
- Narrated by: Linda Jones, Bob Johnson
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The common perception of a CIA officer is someone who collects secret intelligence abroad-a spy. However, the critical link between secrets and policy is the intelligence analyst. The CIA Intelligence Analyst brings to light the vital, but often-unseen, work of these officers.
By: Roger Z. George - edited by, and others
-
The Eurasian Century
- Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern Century
- By: Hal Brands
- Narrated by: Tim Fannon
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hal Brands argues that a better understanding of Eurasia's strategic geography can illuminate the contours of rivalry and conflict in today's world. The Eurasian Century explains how revolutions in technology and warfare, and the rise of toxic ideologies of conquest, made Eurasia the center of twentieth-century geopolitics—with pressing implications for the struggles that will define the twenty-first.
-
-
Worth the read.
- By Chip Eckert on 02-24-25
By: Hal Brands
-
Iran's Grand Strategy
- A Political History
- By: Vali Nasr
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iran presents one of the most significant foreign policy challenges for America and the West, yet very little is known about what the country's goals really are. Vali Nasr examines Iran's political history in new ways to explain its actions and ambitions on the world stage, showing how, behind the veneer of theocracy and Islamic ideology, today's Iran is pursuing a grand strategy aimed at securing the country internally and asserting its place in the region and the world.
-
-
Appreciate focus on NatSec policy development.
- By Matthew James Johnson on 06-22-25
By: Vali Nasr
-
Spies and Lies
- How China's Greatest Covert Operations Fooled the World
- By: Alex Joske
- Narrated by: James Daniel Burkdoll
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spies and Lies a groundbreaking expose of elite influence operations by China's little-known Ministry of State Security. Revealing for the first time how the Chinese Communist Party has tasked its spies to deceive the world, it challenges the conventional account of China's past, present, and future.
-
-
Beware of the MSS
- By Reed Ramlow on 03-08-24
By: Alex Joske
-
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence
- A Concise History
- By: Steven R. Ward
- Narrated by: Bob Johnson
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Steven R. Ward provides an accessible overview of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and its focus on tracking and countering domestic dissent and perceived foreign-inspired sedition. The ministry's checkered record of effective intelligence operations includes a history of assassinations and human rights abuses. Developing a clearer picture of the MOIS is important for understanding how the Islamic Republic of Iran operates, seeks security, and competes with its adversaries.
By: Steven R. Ward
-
Death Is Our Business
- Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare
- By: John Lechner
- Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dually armed with military and strategic prowess, the Wagner Group created a new market in a vast geopolitical landscape increasingly receptive to the promises of private actors. In this trailblazing account of the Group’s origins and operations, John Lechner—the only journalist to report across its many warzones—brings us on the ground to witness Wagner partner with fragile nation states, score access to natural resources, oust peacekeeping missions, and cash in on conflicts reframed as Kremlin interests.
-
-
An indepth, analysis and account of the rise and fall of Wagner
- By Daniel Gutierrez on 03-16-25
By: John Lechner
-
The CIA Intelligence Analyst
- Views from the Inside
- By: Roger Z. George - edited by, Robert Levine - edited by
- Narrated by: Linda Jones, Bob Johnson
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The common perception of a CIA officer is someone who collects secret intelligence abroad-a spy. However, the critical link between secrets and policy is the intelligence analyst. The CIA Intelligence Analyst brings to light the vital, but often-unseen, work of these officers.
By: Roger Z. George - edited by, and others