For 30 years, the United States has tried to deal with Iran and its revolutionary ideology without a well grounded understanding of what motivates and inspires Iranians, or why most believe their revolution was a great turning point in their country’s history, the history of Islam, and one of the truly decisive events of the 20th century.
With a weak and erratic understanding of the dynamics of Iranian politics, history and culture, U.S. presidents have lurched from one failure to another in trying to deal with Iran. In the last 30 years, they have dealt, or misdealt, with Iran more than any other foreign policy issue. All too often, American leaders have relied on the warped views of third parties with their own agendas.
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