ABSTRACT
The analysis and findings in this chapter generate clear policy recommendations for American leaders. Most importantly, American decision makers should recognize the great significance that the domestic contest between Iranian conservatives and reformers has for US interests, and then do what they can to strengthen Iranian ideological reformers and weaken ideological conservatives. The chapter examines the root sources of Iranian enmity toward the United States during the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush presidencies. The core issue examined in this chapter is of critical importance for effective decision making by American politicians. The chapter discusses the potential acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran which was a highly contentious international issue from 1997 to 2008. Iran's ideological factions exhibited key differences on another set of critical international developments during the period under examination: America's reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
