The Sixth Crisis: Iran, Israel, America, and the Rumors of War (International Institute for Strategic Studies)
"Allin and Simon provide a masterful account of the defining security challenge of the decade. The authors bring the right stuff to the task. Simon is an experienced Middle East hand who has witnessed presidential decision making up close and Allin is a demonstrated expert on international security. They are without illusions. Their book disposes of the myths on all sides to reveal the hard dilemmas facing Washington and Jerusalem."--Richard A. Clarke, author ofAgainst All Enemies"The best one-volume analysis of the Iran nuclear crisis in print."--Peter Beinart, author ofThe Icarus Syndrome"This is a sober, sobering, trenchant and important volume about the potential for military conflict among Israel, Iran and the United States, and the factors that will determine whether such a conflict takes place. The authors write clearly and think deeply; they offer warnings that anyone interested in the fate of the Obama Administration or the Middle East should heed."--Steve Coll, author ofGhost WarsandThe Bin Ladens"This book is mandatory reading for U.S. policy makers. Few threats endanger American and international security more than Iran's reach for a nuclear capability and its support for extremism in the Middle East. These two deeply knowledgeable and objective authors transcend the polarized public debate, explaining why a war with Iran is a very real possibility, but also an avoidable one."--Samuel Berger, United States National Security Advisor, 1997-2001"Not only is the book the best description available of "the sixth crisis" that Washington has faced in the Middle East since World War II; it also suggests a U.S. policy: given the likely failure to reach a negotiated settlement, a regional variant of the Cold War containment policy might be the best default position."--Foreign Affairs