The devil we know : dealing with the new Iranian superpower / Robert Baer.

1. The Iranian Paradox -- 2. How Iran Beat America -- 3. The Master Plan: How Iran Arrived at Its Secret Blueprint for Empire -- 4. From Terrorism to Power Politics: How Iran Became a Statist Power -- 5. Lethal and Elusive: Why Iran's Weapons and Tactics Make It Unconquerable - Even Without Nukes -- 6. Seizing the World's Energy Corridors: Why Iran Will Shortly Control the Most Vital Oil and Gas Trade Routes -- 7. Toppling the Arab Sheikhdoms: How Iran Plans to Seize the Persian Gulf's Oil -- 8. White Knights: How Iran's Shia Are Winning the Hearts of the Sunni Palestinians -- 9. Winner Take All: Why the Shia Will Prevail - and the Opening It Offers -- 10. Ultimate Sacrifice: Martyrs, Suicide Bombers, and the Fight for the Soul of Islam -- 11. Memories That Don't Fade: What Iran Really Wants.

Map on endpapers.

Includes index.

"As ex-CIA operative Robert Baer masterfully shows, Iran has maneuvered itself into the elite superpower ranks by exploiting Americans' false perceptions of what Iran is - by letting us believe it is a country run by scowling religious fanatics, too preoccupied with theocratic jostling and terrorist agendas to strengthen its political and economic foundations." "Baer's on-the-ground sleuthing and interviews with key Middle East players - everyone from an Iranian ayatollah to the king of Bahrain to the head of Israel's internal security - paint a picture of the centuries-old Shia nation that is starkly the opposite of the one normally drawn. For example, Iran's hate-spouting President Ahmadinejad is by no means the true spokesman for Iranian foreign policy, nor is Iran making it the highest priority to become a nuclear player."--BOOK JACKET.