Book description
On 1 February 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran to a tumultuous
welcome and the Iranian revolution that that he masterminded has become
one of the defining moments of the modern age. Today the challenge of
radical Islam represents the greatest threat to world peace seen since
the darkest days of the Cold War, and the legacy of Khomeini's Islamic
Revolution lies at the heart of many of the world's most intractable
conflicts. Khomeini's Ghost is the definitive biographical account of
how an impoverished young student from a remote area of southern Iran
came to be the political and the spiritual leader of his country.
Drawing on a wide variety of Iranian sources, including religious
figures who knew and worked with Khomeini both in exile and in power,
Con Coughlin examines in detail the principles of Khomeini's Islamic
Revolution and the impact of his legacy today, whether it is in Iran's
support for radical Islamic groups or Iran's commitment to developing an
atom bomb. Frighteningly topical, compellingly readable and written with
authority and profound understanding of the subject, this is political
biography at its best.
Con Coughlin is the executive foreign editor of the Daily Telegraph
and a world-renowned expert on the Middle East. He is the
critically-acclaimed author of several books, including Saddam: His
Secret Life. He appears regularly on television and radio in Britain
and America to comment on international security issues.
