Table Of ContentKasra Naji, who moved to London shortly after completing this book,
has worked as a journalist in Tehran for many years. He has reported for
CNN, the BBC, the Financial Times, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times,
The Economist and ABC.
University of California Press
Berkeley Los Angeles
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University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
© 2008 by Kasra Naji
First published by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd in the United Kingdom
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Naji, Kasra, 1952–.
Ahmadinejad : the secret history of Iran’s radical leader / Kasra Naji.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-520-25663-7 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud. 2. Presidents—Iran—Biography. 3. Iran—
Politics and government—21st century. I. Title.
DS318.84.A36N35 2008
955.06’1092—dc22 2007044590
Typeset in Goudy Old Style by A. & D. Worthington, Newmarket, Suffolk
Manufactured in the United Kingdom
17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
CONTENTS
Foreword by Ali M. Ansari vii
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction: Did You Hear the One About
Ahmadinejad? xi
1. From the Desert to the Palace 1
2. Ahmadinejad for President 57
3. Apocalypse Now 91
4. Iran’s Nuclear Quest 111
5. Ahmadinejad vs. the World 139
6. A Wolf and a Sheep: US–Iran Relations 185
7. Iran in Turmoil 207
8. Friends in High Places 257
Epilogue: In a Make-Believe World 267
Notes 273
Index 289
FOREWORD
The election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the presidency of the
Islamic Republic of Iran in 2005 catapulted a hitherto obscure
radical politician on to the international stage. Since then, he has
rarely been off it. Exploiting the surprise which his dramatic election
victory engendered among observers of Iranian politics, Ahmadinejad
has shown tremendous energy in maintaining the momentum of
his dramatis persona. Nearly a century ago, the American banker
Morgan Shuster, similarly bewildered by the political activity he
had encountered, commented that Iranian politics could perhaps
best be described as an opera bouffe, a comic opera in which players
enter and exit the stage with alarming speed and often change their
political clothes in the process. Whether one agrees with Shuster’s
observation or not, there can be little doubt that the image of a vast
political theatre is one that commends itself well to the Iranian envi-
ronment. And Iran’s politicians, for all their seriousness, have long
been renowned for showmanship. Dr Mohammad Mosaddeq regu-
larly invited both awe and ridicule for his emotional outbursts, and
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has likewise been known for shedding the
occasional tear at moments of high ‘national’ emotion. But if foreign
observers tended to try and deconstruct Mosaddeq, and perhaps pierce
the myth he had developed among his supporters and constituents,
in the case of Ahmadinejad the reverse is arguably the case. In stark
contrast to his illustrious predecessor – with whom Ahmadinejad has
sought to compare himself – the international community has not
only bought into the image Iran’s diminutive if energetic president has
invented for himself, but has in many ways surpassed it. In the two
years since his election, foreign representations of Ahmadinejad have
tended to portray him as a villain of extraordinary proportions and
vii
viii AHMADINEJAD
existential consequences, complete with forked tail and horns: the
personification of evil. Unfortunately for someone of Ahmadinejad’s
worldview, such a characterization from the ‘Great Satan’ is not only
to be expected but is to be welcomed as a sign that he must be doing
something right!
In this excellent biography, Kasra Naji seeks to restore some
balance to the narrative of Ahmadinejad’s ascent to power. Naji
comes to his subject as an Iranian who has witnessed the process from
within. Exaggeration, from wherever it originates, be it the pen of
foreign opponents seeking a mighty foe or the propagandists in the
Iranian presidential office, is swiftly laid to rest as the author lays bare
Ahmadinejad’s life and ideas. In this task he has been ably assisted by
access to a range of sources, both documentary and personal, through
interviews with key players, which have hitherto been ignored or
indeed in many cases suppressed, to shed light on Ahmadinejad’s
early political career and, significantly, his much touted war record.
What emerges is a man of firm and distinct conviction, reinforced
by the ridicule his ideas have attracted from many of his compatri-
ots, and further convinced, as a consequence, that his political emer-
gence is a direct result of providential favour. Drawing strength from
the contempt which surrounded him, Ahmadinejad’s 2005 election,
flawed as it was, provided him with the last laugh, which he has been
enjoying at the expense of his political rivals ever since. Time will tell
whether Ahmadinejad will fall victim to the image that he has created
for himself, but early indications are that he has too easily succumbed
to the intoxication of power. A recent book by a supporter describes
him as the ‘miracle of the third millennium’. Iranians are apt to note
(with a wry smile) that such a characterization is open to a wide variety
of interpretations.
Ali M. Ansari
University of St Andrews
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book would not have been possible without the government of
the Islamic Republic of Iran. Had I not been denied the right to work
for so long, I would never have had the time to embark on such a long
project – even being refused a press card to work as a journalist can
have a silver lining.
I must also thank my wife, Frances Harrison, whose idea it was to
write a biography of President Ahmadinejad. Her advice throughout
was invaluable.
But I dedicate the book to my son, Cyrus Naji. He showed great
patience for a six-year-old in tolerating my long periods in front of the
computer writing this book, always showing a sense of humour about
it. At one point he suggested the book’s title should be ‘Ahmadinejad
– or why my hair went white’!
I would like to thank all those in Iran who talked to me on and off
the record at a time when speaking to international journalists was not
exactly encouraged by the authorities. Many cannot be named for their
own well being but will surely recognize their contributions. Like so
many journalists and politicians in Iran, they thought the story should
be told so that the outside world would understand the complexities of
their country. I salute the courage of my journalist colleagues in Iran
who continue to tell the story there under great pressure, and thank
them all for their hospitality, kindness and cooperation.
Thanks go also to my agent in New York, Diana Finch, and my
editor in London, Abigail Fielding-Smith, for their advice, and to Iraj
Bagherzadeh of I.B.Tauris for taking on such a project and for his
many suggestions that improved the book immensely.
Kasra Naji
November 2007
ix
