Iran's Ministry of Intelligence
A Concise History
Published on 1. November 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
226 pages
978-1-64712-510-3 (ISBN)
Description
The first book about Iran's shadowy Ministry of Intelligence
Steven R. Ward provides an accessible overview of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and its focus on tracking and countering domestic dissent and perceived foreign-inspired sedition. The ministry's checkered record of effective intelligence operations includes a history of assassinations and human rights abuses. Developing a clearer picture of the MOIS is important for understanding how the Islamic Republic of Iran operates, seeks security, and competes with its adversaries.
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence updates and improves on the paucity of available information about Iranian intelligence activities. The chapters in the book cover the MOIS's origins, leaders, structure and organizational culture, operations and tradecraft, foreign partners, cultural representations, and future outlook. The book also provides a significant examination of this contemporary intelligence agency that does not follow the model of Western organizations.
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence will be of interest to scholars, students, and general readers of intelligence and Iran's history and politics. It will also be an important resource for national security and foreign policy practitioners.
Steven R. Ward provides an accessible overview of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) and its focus on tracking and countering domestic dissent and perceived foreign-inspired sedition. The ministry's checkered record of effective intelligence operations includes a history of assassinations and human rights abuses. Developing a clearer picture of the MOIS is important for understanding how the Islamic Republic of Iran operates, seeks security, and competes with its adversaries.
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence updates and improves on the paucity of available information about Iranian intelligence activities. The chapters in the book cover the MOIS's origins, leaders, structure and organizational culture, operations and tradecraft, foreign partners, cultural representations, and future outlook. The book also provides a significant examination of this contemporary intelligence agency that does not follow the model of Western organizations.
Iran's Ministry of Intelligence will be of interest to scholars, students, and general readers of intelligence and Iran's history and politics. It will also be an important resource for national security and foreign policy practitioners.
Reviews / Votes
It is a systematic retelling of Iran's intelligence operations over four decades, concluding with the beginning of the war against Hamas....[T]his is an absorbing book because it is not peppered with cliches, slogans, or inflating denunciations. It is effective because it just presents the cold, hard facts. * Jerusalem Post * Iran's Ministry of Intelligence is the first and most complete, even though concise, history of this important agency. An enormously valuable contribution to the intelligence literature. * Studies in Intelligence * [T]his is an absorbing book because it is not peppered with cliches, slogans, or inflating denunciations. It is effective because it just presents the cold, hard facts. It is not a polemic. It gives outsiders a peek into a murky, subterranean world, removed from everyday life. * Australia/Israel Review *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Washington, DC
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Not illustrated
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 149 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
362 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64712-510-3 (9781647125103)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Steven R. Ward worked as an intelligence officer for nearly thirty years with the Central Intelligence Agency, covering Middle Eastern, South Asian, and related national security issues. He served as a deputy national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia on the National Intelligence Council (2005-6) and as a director of intelligence programs for the National Security Council (1998-99). He is a retired US Army Reserve lieutenant colonel and 1980 graduate of the US Military Academy. He also is the author of Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces (Georgetown University Press, 2009 and 2014).
Content
List of Illustrations
Chronology of Important Iranian Intelligence- and National Security-Related Events
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Foundation
Chapter 2: Leaders
Chapter 3: Organization and Organizational Culture
Chapter 4: Operations and Tradecraft
Chapter 5: Intelligence Community and Foreign Intelligence Partners
Chapter 6: Cultural Representations
Chapter 7: Legacy and Outlook
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Chronology of Important Iranian Intelligence- and National Security-Related Events
Preface
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Foundation
Chapter 2: Leaders
Chapter 3: Organization and Organizational Culture
Chapter 4: Operations and Tradecraft
Chapter 5: Intelligence Community and Foreign Intelligence Partners
Chapter 6: Cultural Representations
Chapter 7: Legacy and Outlook
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the Author