About the Book

"US policy toward Iran has remained remarkably consistent since the earliest years of the Reagan administration. Even momentous geopolitical shifts, changing leaderships, and evolving domestic priorities have not fundamentally altered this seemingly permanent hostile relationship. Standard explanations pin the blame on Iran and its revolutionary leaders propagating an ideology and policies at odds with the US and the West. While there is no doubt that Iran bears significant blame for a deeply adversarial relationship--the country often engages in dangerous and repressive activities and regularly violates international law and norms--this book argues that "it's them, not us" accounts cannot alone explain the unusual nature of America's posture toward this complicated but critically important country. This book tells the story of the making of America's Iran policy over the past four decades, offering a window into how foreign policy is constructed in Washington and why it is so often difficult to change. Drawing on original interviews with former and current government officials, as well as the author's own participation in dozens of track two meetings related to Iran over the past twenty years, Kaye deftly explores how America's Iran policy is made, the people who make it, and the underlying ideas and perceptions that inform it. America's stance on Iran is at its core homegrown, shaped by the worldviews and predominant framing and discourse on Iran across several generations of American policymakers. This book illustrates how such views and resulting policies became deeply entrenched, reinforced by Iran's own antagonistic posture. Kaye looks back at US policy toward Iran to help us look ahead, offering wider lessons for current dynamics in American foreign policymaking"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A timely and rigorous analysis of a half-century of American policymakers' shifting perceptions of Iran, and how they have driven US-Iran relations.

US-Iran hostility has endured for longer than the Cold War. Momentous geopolitical shifts, changing leaderships, and evolving domestic priorities have not fundamentally altered this antagonistic relationship. Standard explanations pin the blame for this enduring hostility on Iran and its leaders' revolutionary ideology and policies at odds with the United States and the West. While Iran bears significant blame for a deeply adversarial relationship--the country often engages in dangerous and repressive activities--this book demonstrates that "it's them, not us" accounts cannot alone explain America's posture toward this complicated but critically important country. Drawing on original interviews with former government officials, oral histories, memoirs, congressional hearings, archival material, and the author's own participation in dozens of Iran-related track two meetings, Dalia Dassa Kaye deftly explores how America's Iran policy is made, the people who make it, and the underlying ideas and perceptions that inform it. Dassa Kaye looks back at US policy toward Iran over the past four decades to help us look ahead, offering wider lessons for understanding American foreign policymaking and providing critical insights at a pivotal time of heightened military tensions in and around the Middle East.

Review Quotes

"Dalia Dassa Kaye's highly readable account of US-Iran relations since the Iranian Revolution considers why successive American administrations have only made half-hearted efforts to transform that relationship: in part because the default position--Iran is an implacable foe--reflects the perceptions and interests of many US players. A must-read for Middle East watchers." --Ellen Laipson, George Mason University

"Enduring Hostility fills an important gap in our understanding of the troubled relationship between Iran and the United States. Digging deep into history, and drawing on new evidence, Dalia Dassa Kaye finds that American policy towards Iran is, at its core, 'homegrown.' A thoughtful, readable, and important analysis for anyone interested in the contemporary Middle East." --Janice Gross Stein, University of Toronto

"In this incisive and timely book, Dalia Dassa Kaye tells the story of over four decades of America's effort to contend with Iran's regional role and nuclear ambitions. A much-needed resource on an urgent topic and a must-read for policymakers and academics." --Vali Nasr, author of Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History

About the Author

Dalia Dassa Kaye is a Senior Fellow at the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations and former Senior Political Scientist and Director of the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy. A recipient of many awards and fellowships, she speaks and publishes widely on US and Middle East policy.