Iran in the 21st Century Politics, Economics and Confrontation

Iran is an ancient country, an oil-exporting economy and an Islamic Republic. It experienced two full-scale revolutions in the 20th century, the latter of which had large and important regional and international consequences, including an eight-year war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And now in the 21st century, it confronts issues and experiences problems which have important implications for its future development and external relations. In the domestic sphere, the country faces conflicts over national identity and ethnic minorities, democracy and human rights, personal and political freedoms, women's rights, youth culture, full employment, the economy and the use of the oil revenues, and the widening gap between rich and poor. Regarding external affairs, there are more or less severe problems both in regional and in global relations, headed by the ongoing conflict with the west over Iran's nuclear energy programme. This book is the first study of Iran at the turn of the 21st century in all the above aspects by leading sociologists, social anthropologists, political scientists and economists in the field of Iranian studies.Katouzian, Homa is the author of 'Iran in the 21st Century Politics, Economics and Confrontation', published 2007 under ISBN 9780415435598 and ISBN 0415435595.