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The Shadow Commander
- Soleimani, the US, and Iran’s Global Ambitions
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Historical
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Summary
Until his assassination by US drone strike in January 2020, commander Qassem Soleimani was one of the most powerful men in Iran and the military spearhead for Iranian foreign policy, enacting the wishes of the country's Supreme Leader in the region. A widely popular but also feared maverick operator, he helped to establish the Islamic Republic as a major force in the Middle East, with interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. This was a long way from where he began as a youth, living on the margins in a country ruled by a monarch supported by the United States.
In this engaging account, historian Arash Azizi examines Soleimani's life, regional influence, and ambitions. The Shadow Commander breaks new ground through interviews with Iranians, Afghans, Iraqis, and Syrians who knew Soleimani for years, including his personal driver, the aides who accompanied him to his Moscow meeting with Vladimir Putin, and his brother. Ultimately, Azizi uses the story of this one important figure to make sense of the global ambitions of Iran, a country whose actions are much talked about but seldom understood.
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- amir zadsham
- 27-12-20
Fast track of IRGC AND ISLAMIC REV HISTORY
You can tell the Arthur wrote this book as a historian ! This is not a Soleimani Biography.
Arash Azizi was an excellent journalist in BBC Persian ! That helped him to write this book
We need more book like this about Middle East
I hope he write something about MEK AND Masoud Rajavi ! Tell the world about the strange ideologies
1 person found this helpful
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- Aliz
- 19-01-21
Rather disappointing
This book is neither a historical account nor a biography, but a journalistic account of Iranian ambitions and plans with focus on a specific player where details are available. The author has a fair understanding of events, places and people. However, on occasions material is simply patched together, for example chapter 11 which covers events in many countries in an incredible haste. The finale is very short, and seems to suggest the guy was killed because his ego got the best of him aiming to run for president - again based on a newspaper article by someone the author seems to regards highly. Interesting and easy read though.
3 people found this helpful
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- Jacob
- 26-01-21
Title a little misleading
Good book, a bit more generic than what I was looking for. It was more of a contemporary history of Iran than with some parts about Soleimani , rather a specific focus on Soleimani as the title implies.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 27-01-21
Outstanding Story
This book captures the strategic relevancy of a leader who could have become the president of Iran.