The Iranian Time Bomb: The Mullah Zealots' Quest for Destruction

Those who are not yet aware of the existential threat from Iran must read this important book. It's not going to be the "light entertainment" that so many crave, but without this knowledge a person is lacking in a basic understanding of the most important and most dangerous political forces in the world today. Read the book and pass it around to all of your friends!

Concise, well-written, well-organized so that the situation in the M.E./Iran and its neighbors becomes quite clear. The author has done great research and a complete job. Has sparked my interest in foreign policy. Great job.

This work is exceptional. Having consumed a variety of books related to Iran this one is well written and addressed the dymanics of internal Iranian politics well. It is an eye opener in terms of the dissident movement that already exists in Iran and a plan for overcoming the current issues with Iran WITHOUT military action.

I am uncomfortable with the central theme of "The Iranian Time Bomb." Michael Ledeen compares the religious fanatical leaders of Iran with their significantly more secular counterparts in the former Soviet Union. The Communist thugs, however, enjoyed life and were not even slightly interested in committing suicide on behalf of the cause. Outright cynicism was the norm at the end of the regime. They seemed more interested in drinking the best vodka, eating premium caviar, and entertaining their mistresses than wiping out the West. The author may want to instead remember the last hours of Adolph Hitler and his loyal inner circle. What would have likely occurred if they possessed weapons of mass destruction? I think we already know the answer to this question. Just how nihilistically inclined are the Iranian mullahs? Are they willing to annihilate the whole planet? Do they love death more than life? The polling data indicating, "that upward of 70 percent of Iranians want greater freedom and better relations with the United States", legitimately encourages Ledeen. But do these people control the military? When push comes to shove, will they be able to disable the weapons pointed at our direction? We know this much: the Iranian regime has unofficially declared war on the United States. Constantly the mullahs push the envelope a little further. Our own elected officials, including the present administration, have for far too long looked the other way. Ledeen provides Americans with the information they so desperately need. Is he overly optimistic about reforming the current reactionary government of Iran? Whatever, the United States is very hesitant to preemptively order its military forces to strike at Iranian targets. At the very most, we will fund revolutionary activity within the country. This is, alas, why Michael Ledeen's book is so important. We are simply not going to do anything more then what he suggests! There is another work I highly recommend that will further help one to understand how the United States got itself trapped in this mess. It is the 1985 book by Amir Taheri entitled, The Spirit of Allah: Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution.

Michael Ledeen thinks that Iran's "mullocracy" can be toppled without U.S. force, and that American's military choices are limited to a focus on Iran's nuclear program or general bombing to destroy Iran's fascist government. He also believes that the only exportable U.S. "weapon" is "the American democratic revolution." Like former federal prosecutor Andrew C. McCarthy, I disagree. If the U.S. tackles Iran militarily, its campaign should not be hobbled in advance. Moreover, Iran is one of world's states least likely to sprout an American style democracy. Everything else in this book, though, is not only intelligent, but necessary to U.S. national survival. Democrats and Republicans alike have got to stop playing footsie with the Islamic theocrats, and pretending that some miracle will moderate Islamic fascism. There are many reasons for Islamic stridency, not least of all the history, theology and ideology fundamental to all forms of Islam, Shi'ite and Sunni alike (as explained brilliantly in Dr. Andrew Bostom's The Legacy of Jihad: Islamic Holy War and the Fate of Non-Muslims and his forthcoming The Legacy of Islamic Antisemitism: From Sacred Texts to Solemn History). But among the most pertinent reasons just now is the refusal of U.S. governments for the last 30 years to even examine the problem. The former President most at fault is Jimmy Carter (The Real Jimmy Carter: How Our Worst Ex-President Undermines American Foreign Policy, Coddles Dictators and Created the Party of Clinton and Kerry), but certainly, others have done their bit, more than accommodating Islamic radicals whom they wishfully insist on terming "moderates." Especially Bill Clinton, (The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House) but also Ronald Reagan--who was far too consumed with defeating communism to see the next (far more dangerous) ideological war had already started--not to mention many State Department and other officials, wearing blinders, nighttime light blinders, that is. Pretending we can negotiate with people who want to destroy the West only empowers them. I strongly recommend reading Islamic religious history in books like Bostom's. But Michael Ledeen also offers a critical political analysis of the modern American weakness, a collective refusal to see the elephant sitting right in front of us. --Alyssa A. Lappen