The September 11 attacks upended America’s relatively strong influence in the Middle East and prompted President George W. Bush’s plan to remake the region through a war in Iraq. By bringing liberal democracy to Iraq, Bush hoped that the country would be a springboard for the spread of democracy to neighboring authoritarian states. Yet the war’s disruption created an opportunity for Iran to advance its own opposing ambitions—one that would turn the Middle East into a bastion of resistance to Western hegemony and bring an end to Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. The resulting clash not only intensified the Iraq War, it reverberated in states across the region. With the outbreak of new conflicts, the US-Iranian showdown became entwined in a much more complex struggle, one which drew in other regional and foreign powers that all pursued differing agendas.

In Wars of Ambition, Afshon Ostovar explores the evolution of the metastasizing conflict as it unfolded over a span of more than two decades. Not just an account of the interaction between America’s Middle East policies and ambitious regional states on the receiving end, it also provides a powerful analysis of conflicting visions of the future that transcend regional politics. With Iran’s rise and its revisionist campaign running in concert with those of Russia and China, the contest for the Middle East has become a microcosm of a larger geopolitical battle between those aiming to preserve the American-led global order and those seeking to overturn it—and thus reflective of an emergent multipolar world.

“Afshon Ostovar is among the most astute Iran scholars of his generation. His thoughtful analysis will enlighten both new students of Iran as well as senior US policymakers.”—Karim Sadjadpour, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace