Ray Takeyh, a leading expert on Iran's politics and history, has written a ground-breaking book that demystifies the Iranian regime and shows how the fault lines of Iran's domestic politics serve to explain its behaviour. He explains why this country has so often confounded American expectations and why its outward hostility does not necessarily preclude the normalisation of relations. Through a clearer understanding of the competing claims of Muslim theology, republican pragmatism and factional competition, lies the answer to managing our relations with Iran.