Shipping list no.: 2008-0446-P. Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-325) and index.
Contents:
Foreword --Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Table A: Chronology of important events -- Country profile -- Introduction -- 1: Historical Setting / Shaul Bakhash -- Ancient Iran -- Pre-achaemenian Iran -- Immigration of the Medes and the Persians -- Achaemenian Empire, 550-330 BC -- Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, and the Parthians -- Sassanians, AD 224-642 -- Islamic conquest -- Invasions of the Mongols and Tamerlane -- Safavis, 1501-1722 -- Qajars, 1795-1925 -- Constitutional revolution -- World War I -- Era of Reza Shah, 1921-41 -- World War II and the Azarbaijan crisis -- Mossadeq and oil nationalization -- Post-Mossadeq era and the Shah's white revolution -- State and society, 1964-74 -- Renewed opposition -- Coming of the revolution -- Bakhtiar government -- Revolution -- Bazargan and the provisional government -- New constitution -- Bani Sadr Presidency -- Terror and repression -- Consolidation of the revolution -- Khomeini's last years -- Post-Khomeini era -- Rafsanjani presidency -- Khatami and the reform movement -- 2: Society And Its Environment / Eric Hooglund -- Geography -- Topography -- Climate -- Environment -- Population -- Emigration -- Refugees -- Languages and peoples -- Persian language and people -- Other Indo-Iranian-speaking groups -- Turkic-speaking groups -- Semitic groups -- Armenians -- Structure of society -- Urban society -- Social class in contemporary Iran -- Urban migration -- Rural society -- Nomadic society -- Family -- Gender issues -- Traditional attitudes toward segregation of the sexes -- Female participation in the workforce -- Religion -- Shia Islam in Iran -- Sunni Muslims -- Non-Muslim minorities -- Education -- Health and welfare -- Medical personnel and facilities -- Heath hazards and preventative medicine -- Water supply and sanitation -- Welfare -- 3: Economy / Hossein Akhavi-Pour -- Historical background -- Economy under the Pahlavis, 1925-79 -- Economy after the Islamic Revolution, 1979-present -- Role of government -- Human resources -- Labor force participation -- Unemployment -- Distribution of employment -- Organized labor -- National output measurements -- Gross domestic product -- Gross domestic expenditure -- Informal sector -- Petroleum industry -- Historical overview -- Oil production and reserves -- Oil refining and consumption -- Trade in oil and oil products -- Natural gas -- Petrochemicals -- Mining -- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing -- Crops and livestock -- Government agricultural policy -- Forestry -- Fishing -- Industry and construction -- Handicrafts -- Manufacturing -- Construction and housing -- Services -- Domestic trade and distribution -- Insurance -- Tourism -- Transportation and telecommunications -- Roads -- Railroads -- Water transport -- Air transport -- Electronic media and telecommunications -- Energy supply -- Fiscal and monetary policy -- Fiscal policy -- Banking monetary policy -- International trade and the balance of payments -- Imports -- Nonoil exports -- Balance of payments and debt -- Foreign-exchange system -- Foreign direct investment -- 4: Government And Politics / Mark Gasiorowski -- Political dynamics -- Reformist comes to power -- Conservatives strike back -- Power struggle intensifies -- Reformists retreat -- Khatami's second term -- End of the Khatami era -- Government institutions -- Leader, or Faqih -- Assembly of experts -- President and cabinet -- Parliament -- Guardians council -- Expediency council -- Judiciary -- Problem of dual sovereignty -- Local government -- Electoral system -- Political parties and civil society -- Reformist coalition -- Centrist faction -- Conservative coalition -- Other political groups -- Civil society organizations -- Human rights -- Mass media and the arts -- Foreign policy -- Relations with Europe -- Relations with neighboring Arab countries -- Relations with other middle eastern countries -- Relations with neighbors to the north and east -- United States and Iran -- 5: National Security / Jalil Roshandel -- Armed forces -- Historical background -- Command and control -- Decision making -- Organization, size, and equipment -- Special and irregular armed forces -- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- Basij -- Arms acquisition -- Arms imports -- Domestic arms production -- Missiles -- Internal security -- Intelligence services -- Law enforcement ---- Military's relations with society -- Defense economics -- Military doctrine -- Legacy of the Iran-Iraq War -- Contemporary security policy -- Nuclear issues -- International reactions to Iran's nuclear program -- Nuclear facilities -- Appendix: Tables -- Bibliography -- Glossary -- Index -- Contributors -- Published country studies -- List of figures.
Summary:
From the Publisher: Offers a concise and objective examination of the dominant historical, geographic, social, economic, political, and military aspects of contemporary Iran. Contains five chapters on: Historical Setting, The Society and its Environment (covers geography, population, social systems, education, health, and welfare), The Economy (focuses on overview and sectorial analyses); Government and Politics (covers political institutions, political dynamics, and foreign policy); and National Security (covers military institutions and regional and national security problems/issues). Created by a multidisciplinary team of social scientists under the guidance of the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. This publication seeks to provide a basic understanding of Iranian society, striving for a dynamic rather than a static portrayal. Represents the analysis of the authors and should not be construed as an expression of an official U.S. government position, policy, or decision.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.