Iranian Ways of War

From Cyrus the Great to Qassam Soleimani

Hashim Ahmed S.

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This book traces the long history of Iran's wars, and the evolution of the Islamic Republic's military trajectory since 1979. Ahmed Hashim draws on Farsi, Arabic and European sources to explore Iran's efforts to create modern armed forces, the devastating Iran–Iraq War (1980-1988), and Tehran's evolving fighting capabilities in Syria and Iraq. This analysis offers clues as to how Iran may fare – directly or by proxy – in future confrontations with its enemies, including the US and Israel.

Above all, "Iranian Ways of War" addresses how Iran fights, and why. It offers a corrective to prevailing narratives about its bellicose character and alleged mischief-making throughout the Middle East and beyond. Hashim unpacks with nuance Iran's milestone agreement to curb its nuclear weapons development, within the context of an unstable regional environment, full of myriad enemies and complicating historical factors affecting Iranian decision-makers' psyches.

A long history of confrontation with America, and perceived victimhood as a Shia entity in an overwhelmingly Sunni Middle East, have primed Iran for war.

About the Author

Ahmed S. Hashim is Associate Professor of Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University's Rajaratnam School of International Studies, where he specialises in contemporary warfare issues, Middle Eastern security and counter-terrorism. He is the author of "Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Iraq" and "When Counterinsurgency Wins: Sri Lanka's Defeat of the Tamil Tigers".

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