The Devil We Know: Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower
Robert Baer
Sep 2008 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Ted Barker
star
1 review
headphones
Audiobook
9 hr 47 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 10 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A frighteningly prescient look at Iran’s unchecked growth as a hidden superpower, and the threat the nation will soon pose to the United States—and the world.
“The most important book on the Middle East to appear in many years”—Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Intelligence Wars
As ex-CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows in The Devil We Know, Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting Americans’ false perceptions of what Iran is—by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations.
The reality is much more frightening.
Baer mixes on-the-ground sleuthing and interviews with key players to demonstrate that Iran, far from being a wild-eyed rogue state, is a rational actor—one skilled in the game of nations and ruthlessly effective at thwarting Western colonialism. For U.S. policy makers, the choices have narrowed: either cede the world’s most important energy corridors to a nation that can match us militarily with its asymmetric capabilities (which include the use of suicide bombers)—or deal with the devil we know. The alternative—to continue goading Iran into establishing hegemony over the Muslim world—is too chilling to contemplate.
“The most important book on the Middle East to appear in many years”—Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Intelligence Wars
As ex-CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows in The Devil We Know, Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting Americans’ false perceptions of what Iran is—by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations.
The reality is much more frightening.
Baer mixes on-the-ground sleuthing and interviews with key players to demonstrate that Iran, far from being a wild-eyed rogue state, is a rational actor—one skilled in the game of nations and ruthlessly effective at thwarting Western colonialism. For U.S. policy makers, the choices have narrowed: either cede the world’s most important energy corridors to a nation that can match us militarily with its asymmetric capabilities (which include the use of suicide bombers)—or deal with the devil we know. The alternative—to continue goading Iran into establishing hegemony over the Muslim world—is too chilling to contemplate.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A frighteningly prescient look at Iran’s unchecked growth as a hidden superpower, and the threat the nation will soon pose to the United States—and the world.
“The most important book on the Middle East to appear in many years”—Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize–winning au...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
1 review
About the author
Robert Baer is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: Sleeping with the Devil, and See No Evil, which recounts Baer’s years as a top CIA operative and was the basis for the acclaimed film Syriana. Baer writes regularly for Time.com and has contributed to Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.
Robert Baer is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: Sleeping with the Devil, and See No Evil, which recounts Baer’s years as a top CIA operative and was the basis for the acclaimed film Syriana. Baer writes regularly for Time.com and has contributed to Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journa...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
