China and Iran: Ancient Partners in a Post-Imperial World

The powerful army of the Islamic Republic of Iran is in the service of peace and security and is no threat to anyone. But in the face of enemies, it is like a meteorite. It will cut off the hand of any aggressor and leave the enemy covered in shame. -Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, April 18, 2006 Garver has again proven himself to be the nation's leading scholar of China's foreign relations. This pathbreaking scholarship provides a much-needed corrective to media caricatures and fills a void of reliable information. -David Shambaugh, George Washington University Garver's painstaking research shows how China and Iran try consistently to resist perceived American hegemony and invoke their ancient relations to legitimize the convergence of their national interests. Garver empathetically probes these relations from the perspectives of their leaders, rather than his own American lenses. -R. K. Ramazani, University of Virginia Garver's incisive and lucid work draws attention to the range and depth of China-Iran cultural interactions and how these shape their perceptions and projection of power. These rigorous, refreshing, innovative insights on the intricacies of regional politics are likely to recast our thinking on power relationships in Asia and the Middle East. -Saaed Shafqat, Columbia University A tour de force of the highest importance to U.S. policymakers and scholars alike. -Ambassador Thomas Graham Jr. The first of its kind, Garver's timely book combines exciting insights on politics, ideology, Islam, and energy, as well as military and nuclear policy. This will be the standard work for some time to come. -Yitzhak Shichor, University of Haifa In recent years, Iran's nuclearaspirations have dominated its relations with the United States and Europe. China stands as Iran's staunchest ally on the UN Security Council, as well as its primary source of advanced technology and military assistance, built on centuries of close economic relations. Successive governments of these two ancient and proud nations have reaffirmed their common interests in seeking an Asia free of Soviet expansionism and U.S. unilateral domination. John W. Garver charts the evolution of Sino-Iranian relations through several phases, including Iran under the shah, the 1979 revolution, and the Iran-Iraq war. China and Iran also explores the contentious debates over Iran's nuclear programs and China's role in assisting these programs and supporting Iran's efforts to modernize its military and oil industry infrastructure.