Iran Connection

As Iran's suspected nuclear ambitions place it on an apparent collision cause with the Western powers and the Arab Gulf states, understanding its regional alliances takes on a huge strategic importance. The Lebansese group Hizbullah, the Palestinian group Hamas and Bashar al Asad's Syria are all critical players in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the puzzle of their relationship to their Iranian allies has confounded diplomats for many years. Would Hizbullah start a war on Israel's Northern border in the event of an Israeli air-strike on Iran? Can Syria be prised from the alliance? How will Hamas' negotiating position evolve? Drawing on her unique access to decision-makers in Lebanon, Tehran and Damascus, Amal Saad Ghorayeb unpicks this unusual strategic bloc of secularists and Islamists, Arabs and Iranians, Sunni and Shia, and seeks to provide a rigorous analysis of its mechanics. Tracing the path of funds, ideology and weapons across the Middle East, she argues that the Arab actors are not, as has often been claimed, simply Iran's 'tools' in the region. But their strategic relationships with Iran are, she finds, far more embedded than is often assumed. "The Iran Connection" is essential reading for anyone looking to understand the real dynamics of today's Middle East.