Two good sources

For those of you who might be interested in doing some additional reading on Iran, here are two annotated bibliographies I created on these books I have.

Baer, Robert. The Devil We Know : Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower. 1st ed. New York: Crown, 2008.

Robert Baer is a former CIA field officer with over 20 years of experience in assignments across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. He speaks Arabic fluently and has authored a number of books on his experiences in the CIA. Baer begins this book with the Islamic Revolution and carries it on through the invasion of Iraq up to present time. Baer does not suscribe to any particular political viewpoint and is objective in his experiences in the Middle East. Baer has excellent insight into the role the CIA and American foreign policy has played in Iran's tumultuous history including the current crisis. At the end of his book, Baer offers steps to a peaceful solution with Iran that should be viewed by anyone who is looking for peace and stability in the Middle East.

Ansari, Ali. Iran under Ahmadinejad : The Politics of Confrontation. New York: Routledge, 2008.

Ali M. Ansari is Professor of Iranian History and Director of the Institute for Iranian Studies at the University of St. Andrews, and Associate Fellow of the Middle East Programme, Royal Institute for International Afffairs (Chatham House). He has authored of number of other books on Iran, Middle East strategy, and foreign policy. He is one of the world's leading experts on Iran. Ansair gives an in depth analysis of Iran's history covering all the inner workings of the country up to present times. He gives his readers an excellent understanding of the political dynamics that allowed Ahmadinejad to rise to power. He discusses Iranian foreign policy and strategy in great detail and illuminates the role Iran plays in the Middle East. Ansari also discusses possible future trajectories for the Iranian state. Ansari's work is a solid piece on Iran and would be highly valuable for anyone seeking to learn more about Iran's historical and contemporary situation.