Mehran Kamrava is Professor and Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University¿s School of Foreign Service in Qatar. He is the author of a number of books, including, most recently, Iran¿s Intellectual Revolution and The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War, 3rd edition. He is also the editor of The International Politics of the Persian Gulf, Innovation in Islam: Traditions and Contributions, The Political Economy of the Persian Gulf, and The Nuclear Question in the Middle East.