In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade

To judge from Wright's brisk refresher course on Iranian history under Khomeini and his successors, the Ayatollah's regime was one of constant diversionary tactics. The takeover of the American Embassy and holding of hostages, the terrorist bombings, the costly protracted war with Iraq which created hundreds of thousands of refugees--these events shifted the Islamic Republic's attention away from pressing social and economic needs at home, according to the author. Joblessness, population explosion, a flourishing black market and food shortages beset this oil-rich nation of 52 million. Wright ( Sacred Rage: The Wrath of Militant Islam ) describes in chilling detail Khomeini's military adventurism in Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Arabian peninsula. Yet, she argues, his orthodox revolution has failed to unify Islam into a power bloc, and unless Iran's new leaders display greater tolerance at home and openness to the West, their theocracy may collapse from within. (Oct.)