Introduction

Abstract

Since 1979, Iran has made headlines with uncanny frequency, and mostly for unfortunate reasons. The image of Ayatollah Khomeini captivated minds around the world and began to shape the geopolitics of the region. Khomeini was a reactionary avant-garde historical phenomenon and became the first icon of Islamic political fundamentalism. Consequent events such as the 1979–1981 hostage crisis and the Iran—Iraq war have kept Iran in the news, all the way to the reelection of the current president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is second only to Khomeini in his appetite for media attention. Ahmadinejad sadly proves Marx’s assertion that historical personalities appear the first time as tragedy and the second time as farce (Marx and Engels, 1978: 594).