Limbert, a Foreign Service officer with much experience in Iran, has written a superb profile of that country. Well-crafted, smart, and knowledgeable, his book deserves to become the standard introductory account in English. How refreshing for an admirer of Iranian culture not to apologize for the current regime; and how unusual to find not a trace of Swedish syndrome in a former hostage.
Limbert identifies four historical patterns that have formed the Iranian sense of national identity over the centuries: "charismatic leadership, a deep religious impulse, concern with justice, and acceptance of foreign ways adapted to Iranian tastes." While the Khomeini regime certainly fulfills the first two, its radical rejection of the latter two, Limbert argues, means it has "declared war on its citizens' most deep-rooted and humane values." This explains much of its erratic, harsh behavior.
Limbert identifies a tight, long-standing network of some twenty mullahs who attended school together, endured prison together, and today rule Iran together. Looking to the future, he believes these radical clerics will, barring unforeseen disasters, "probably stay in control as long as they preserve their underlying unity." After Khomeini's death, they will probably inherit his real power and moderate many of his extreme positions.
