The radical ideology and rhetoric that were so adamantly proclaimed during the Iranian Revolution have, it seems, fallen by the wayside as Iran has struggled to maintain its independence and stability. The revolutionary vision of the early 1980s offered a new, enticingly mystical, and somewhat perplexing paradigm that spanned economic, political, social, and ideological spheres.

Yet, within only a few years, this radical paradigm has been replaced by the emergence of a more realistic and pragmatic modus operandi. The new realism that has come to characterize the Iranian leadership has also become visible in the analytical work of mainstream scholars of Iranian affairs.

1. This volume is comprised of several provocative essays that analyze this new direction and the mental metamorphoses undergone by the Iranian government. In combination, these essays provide a variety of fresh and insightful views on the Islamic movement in Iran and elsewhere, on Iran's domestic and international economic and political policies, and on the regional and international economic and security factors at work in the Persian Gulf.