Ray Takeyh's "Hidden Iran" is a wonderful book that will help everyone understand the many forces shaping Iran's internal cultural and political situation and world facing relations. In particular, I have better understanding of Iran's nuclear intentions as well as its perspectives on the U.S. and Israel, which gives me hope that over time Iran will takes its place as one of the leading nations on a regional and international stage.

This was a little slow going for me at first, but as I went on I found it quite compelling. Takeyh does a great job of enumerating the several policy issues effecting both the United States and Iran with historical and cultural perspective, and void of the vitriolic rhetoric that is common on both sides of this discussion.

In this book, the author attempts to recommend a new diplomatic, economic and political approach in the United States' dealings with Iran.

Before making his recommendations, the author does a fabulous job of reviewing the ideology of the Khomeini era - and the baggage that both Americans and Iranians have dealt with since the Iranian Revolution.

He then discusses the conservatives, pragmatists, and reformists that have evolved in Iranian politics since Khomeini's death, telling us of their differing views on how the Iranian government should operate and as well as how Iran should interact with the international community.

Next he discusses how Iran interacts differently with various countries in the Middle East depending on their strategic importance and geographical location.

Additionally, the author discusses the history of Iranian-US relations and how each side has missed opportunities to better relations because of the animosity built during this history.

Finally, the author goes into detail on the three major issues that need to be resolved between the US and Iran - the Iranian nuclear program, Iraq, and Iran's support to terrorists.

In the end, I think the author does a great job of bringing all of this information and analysis together to provide excellent recommendations for future US-Iran relations and negotiations. These recommendations need to be understood and debated by all concerned citizens and politicians.

Overall - a must read for anyone interested in U.S. Middle Eastern policy.

Takeyh presents a sophisticated picture of how Iran sees the world and how the world sees Iran. There is useful history here, but most interesting here is discussion of Iran's regional ambitions and game plan for getting what it wants.