Iran’s Influence: A Religious-Political State and Society in Its Region by Elaheh Rostami-Povey

Elaheh Rostami-Povey focuses on the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the speedy consolidation of the Islamic Republic. She argues that the Islamic Revolution did not dismantle history and progress within Iran. Rather, it provided an opportunity to form progressive grassroots movements to resist the highly autocratic and repressive nature of the Iranian state. Rostami-Povey tries to discover the links between Iran’s internal political development and Islamist ideology and their connection with its mostly regional but also worldwide role.