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Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States Paperback – October 28, 2008

by Trita Parsi (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 108 ratings
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The first book to untangle the complex and often duplicitous relations among Israel, Iran, and the United States

In this era of superheated rhetoric and vitriolic exchanges between the leaders of Iran and Israel, the threat of nuclear violence looms. But the real roots of the enmity between the two nations mystify Washington policymakers, and no promising pathways to peace have emerged. This book traces the shifting relations among Israel, Iran, and the United States from 1948 to the present, uncovering for the first time the details of secret alliances, treacherous acts, and unsavory political maneuverings that have undermined Middle Eastern stability and disrupted U.S. foreign policy initiatives in the region.

Trita Parsi, a U.S. foreign policy expert with more than a decade of experience, is the only writer who has had access to senior American, Iranian, and Israeli decision makers. He dissects the complicated triangular relations of their countries, arguing that America’s hope for stability in Iraq and for peace in Israel is futile without a correct understanding of the Israeli-Iranian rivalry. Parsi’s behind-the-scenes revelations about Middle East events will surprise even the most knowledgeable readers: Iran’s prime minister asks Israel to assassinate Khomeini, Israel reaches out to Saddam Hussein after the Gulf War, the United States foils Iran’s plan to withdraw support from Hamas and Hezbollah, and more. This book not only revises our understanding of the Middle East’s recent past, it also spells out a course for the future. In today’s belligerent world, few topics, if any, could be more important.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    384 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Yale University Press
  4. Publication date
    October 28, 2008
  5. Dimensions
    6.26 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0300143117
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0300143119
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Trita Parsi is president, National Iranian American Council, and adjunct professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University SAIS (School of Advanced International Studies). He writes frequently about the Middle East and has appeared on BBC World News, PBS News Hour, CNN, and other news programs.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; 1st edition (October 28, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300143117
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300143119
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.26 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 108 ratings

About the author

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Trita Parsi

Trita Parsi

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Trita Parsi is the 2010 recipient of the $200,000 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. He is an award-winning author with a focus on US foreign policy in the Middle East. His first book, Treacherous Alliance - The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the US (Yale University Press, 2007) won the Grawemeyer award and Council of Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Award in 2008 (Silver Medallion).

His second book, A Single Roll of the Dice - Obama's Diplomacy with Iran (Yale University Press, 2012) was selected as The Best Book on The Middle East in 2012 by Foreign Affairs. His latest book - Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy (Yale University Press, 2017) - reveals the behind the scenes story to the historic nuclear deal with Iran. Dr. Parsi is the President of the largest Iranian-American grassroots organization in the US, the National Iranian American Council and has taught at Johns Hopkins University and George Washington University. He currently teaches at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
108 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

X
5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched, a real eye opener
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2009
Verified Purchase
A well balanced and fairly even-handed review of the triangle of Iranian-Israeli-US relationships. I say it is even-handed because Trita Parsi is critical of all parties involved. I am sure that neither the ayatollahs of Iran, ex-Bush administration nor the Israeli lobby will appreciate the book due to its straight talk. This is a very timely book given the current push by the international community against the Iranians for their nuclear program. It provides a historical backdrop to understand how the current situation has come to pass. Trita Parsi is a fairly good writer though occasionally repetitive. I found it to be a decent read and very informative.
5 people found this helpful
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ConsDemo
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Insightful
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2011
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I agree with most other reviewers that "Treacherous Alliance" is highly insightful and provides a welcome balance to many contemporary western views of Iran. While it is well known that Israel and the Shah's Iran cooperated from time to time and the US engagement with Iran during the "Iran-contra" affair relied, at least in part, on Israeli mediation, the attempts at rapprochement between Iran and the US since the hostage crisis have not been well explored elsewhere, mostly because neither side chose to broadcast them.

Indeed, one wonders how the region might be different in the US had taken Iran up on its attempts in the 1990s and again in 2003 to forge better relations. It is true that some of the blame for the failure to accept Iranian entreaties can be laid at the feet of the pro-Israel lobby in the US which was able convince members of Congress to stifle any discussions before they got started. This power was recently demonstrated again when President Obama suggests Israeli-Palestinian negotiations use the 1967 borders of Israel as a basis for peace talks and a majority of Congress appeared to side with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's position of intransigence.

Insightful as Parsi's analysis is, I think the vision of rapprochement that he lays out at the end of the book (which was published in 2007) was probably unrealistic. If the current Iranian government was primarily concerned with having its regional importance recognized and respected, it probably could have achieved an understanding with the new Obama Administration in 2009. While it is true that Iran's Islamist governments after 1979 have shown occasional streaks of pragmatism, the current government under President Ahmadinejad has shown little. Even if rhetoric suggesting Iran seeks Israel's discussion is often taken out of context or exaggerated, Israel is right to fear nuclear armed Iran. One hopes Parsi's assertion that the Iranian leadership is ultimately rational is accurate but when one hears the leader of a potentially nuclear nation talking about wiping another nation off the map, it should give the second nation pause. As for US-Iranian relations, a possible American détente with Iran should not be held hostage by Israel's fears, but is it really possible at the present time?
4 people found this helpful
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Daniel Pourkesali
5.0 out of 5 stars A treacherous but necessary alliance
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2007
Verified Purchase
This is a must read book for anyone interested in a thorough examination and understanding of the relationship between Iran, Israel, and the United States and how the relationship between Iran and Israel has historically been defined based on geostrategy rather than ideology from the beginning of the Jewish state.

First a minor correction -- United Nations data shows that Iran's population was about 27 million back in 1967 and not 41 million as stated in chapter 3 under subheading "The 1967 War".

Second a general observation - While not downplaying Dr. Parsi's excellent scholarly work and analysis, it is clearly obvious which audience the book is trying to address or not to offend. For example, in the same chapter on page 33, the former Shah is characterized as someone who was "prone to conspiracy theories" for believing that the U.S. media was controlled by Jewish interests. However, the former Monarch was not entirely alone in that assessment. Former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles was quoted in Donald Neff's book "Fallen Pillars" in February 1957:

"I am aware how almost impossible it is in this country to carry out a foreign policy [in the Middle East] not approved by the Jews..... Terrific control the Jews have over the news media and the barrage the Jews have built up on congressmen.... I am very much concerned over the fact that the Jewish influence here is completely dominating the scene and making it almost impossible to get congress to do anything they don't approve of. The Israeli embassy is practically dictating to the congress through influential Jewish people in the country"

In October 1973, Senator Fullbright, then Chair of Senate Foreign Relations Committee said: "The Israelis control the policy in the congress and the senate." on CBS' "Face the Nation".

It is also no secret that American media is a Jewish dominated institution that blindly adopts Israel's half-truths, myths, and talking points to ensure that the American public only sees, hears, and reads Israel's viewpoints. Despite such total domination, the Jewish lobby still attacks the media and those few columnists and scholars who dare challenge Israel are ridiculed, intimidated, and immediately labeled as anti-Semitic. Just ask Stephen M. Walt and John J. Mearsheimer.

However, none deters from Parsi's lucid analysis and contribution towards a better understanding of the relationship between the three countries. After reading this book, I'm optimistic that perhaps underneath all the current idealistic rhetoric that flies in the face of any sane geostrategy, cooler and wiser heads are still pursuing the far more rational policies of the past because at the end of the day, a weakened Israel or Iran as a result of an unnecessary war can only benefit their common enemies in the region.
27 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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TGC
4.0 out of 5 stars Good analysis, a bit biased
Reviewed in Italy on November 8, 2020
Verified Purchase
I suggest reading also from Israeli authors. The author is in the “Iranian lobby” in the US and it shows a bit in the writing.
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Yousof Hourani
3.0 out of 5 stars An insightful perspective
Reviewed in Australia on August 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
An interesting overview of the range of motives underpinning Israeli, American and Iranian interests.
Feels like it concludes about a decade too early.
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Al
5.0 out of 5 stars shows the duplicity in the worls
Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2014
Verified Purchase
give you a glimpse of hidden back door dealings . I knew the rhetorical war between Iran and Israel is fake
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dodomeur
5.0 out of 5 stars R.A.S
Reviewed in France on September 1, 2015
Verified Purchase
Rien à signaler vraiment. Logistique correct reste maintenant plus qu'à le lire. Et pour le reste, je ne sais vraiment pas quoi dire
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Edmund Kemper
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
I read the book "All the Shah's men" and enjoyed Trita Parsi's approach much more even though I must admit that the
subject/focus wasn't totally the same. The book is told in chronological order and compared to
All the Shah's men it focuses on Iran and its political ambitions, relationship between the governments of Middle East
instead of little minor details, which don't interest me that much. The books opens a whole new window for the reader and
gives you insight of the public or behind the scene dealings between Iran, US and Israel. From now on I look even more
closely at the news regarding Iran, Israel and neighbouring states, Iran's nuclear ambitions and how other states are
reacting to their actions or rhetoric.

The book was very well written, structured and researched - definitely worth reading, if you are even remotely into politics
or interested in Iran.
3 people found this helpful
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