The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions
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- Create Date：2021-09-15 09:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Arash Azizi
- ISBN：0861541170
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Summary
‘An excellent contribution to our knowledge of Iran and Soleimani。’ Kim Ghattas， author of Black Wave
When the US assassinated Qassem Soleimani， he was one of the most powerful men in Iran。 Known as ‘the shadow commander’， he enacted the wishes of the country’s Supreme Leader across the Middle East， establishing the Islamic Republic as a major force in the region。 But all this was a long way from where he began – on the margins of a nation whose ruler was seen as a friend of the West。
Through Soleimani， Arash Azizi examines how Iran came to be where it is today。 Providing a rare insight into a country whose actions are often discussed but seldom understood， he reveals the global ambitions underlying Iran’s proxy wars， geopolitics and nuclear programme。
When the US assassinated Qassem Soleimani， he was one of the most powerful men in Iran。 Known as ‘the shadow commander’， he enacted the wishes of the country’s Supreme Leader across the Middle East， establishing the Islamic Republic as a major force in the region。 But all this was a long way from where he began – on the margins of a nation whose ruler was seen as a friend of the West。
Through Soleimani， Arash Azizi examines how Iran came to be where it is today。 Providing a rare insight into a country whose actions are often discussed but seldom understood， he reveals the global ambitions underlying Iran’s proxy wars， geopolitics and nuclear programme。
Reviews
Martin
，
Incredible book， so well researched & written。
Mark Havenhand
，
Well i enjoyed it - read it in one day。 Gives a different Iran-sided view and the man comes over as something of a hero。 Probably best if you are a follower of Middle Eastern affairs or at least interested in them。 There is very little personal information on Qassem - what made him tick， how he operated， what his detractors said about him。 We only hear about his wife and family at the very end。 Still some new material for me and written in a pacy wayMark
Ali
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Guys， this book is just fantasy written by an author with zero military experience， contacts or connections and it has ZERO useful history of General Soleimani。 From the very start it depicts him as a murderer while in reality all his peers in the west consider him a very humble top tier worthy adversary， it's clear the writer has an agenda to re-write history based on fiction and fantasy in his own mind made worse by the fact that he's barely spent any time inside of Iran himself。 The book is m Guys， this book is just fantasy written by an author with zero military experience， contacts or connections and it has ZERO useful history of General Soleimani。 From the very start it depicts him as a murderer while in reality all his peers in the west consider him a very humble top tier worthy adversary， it's clear the writer has an agenda to re-write history based on fiction and fantasy in his own mind made worse by the fact that he's barely spent any time inside of Iran himself。 The book is more about history of Iran which is also based on fantasy and not facts and maybe 2 pages worth about General Soleimani which is either nothing new or not factual。 This book is not worth wasting money on and reading。 。。。more
Ernst
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Much more the story of his times， seen more or less through the vantage point he would have had， than of the man himself。 Although much of the history was new to me， and reflects embarrassingly on my country in different ways than I had heard before， the book is so well written that at some points pages would fly by rapidly。 Other times I had to stop and think。 Note that the time between 2015， when Soleimani was on the cover of American news magazines and had friends in America and around the wo Much more the story of his times， seen more or less through the vantage point he would have had， than of the man himself。 Although much of the history was new to me， and reflects embarrassingly on my country in different ways than I had heard before， the book is so well written that at some points pages would fly by rapidly。 Other times I had to stop and think。 Note that the time between 2015， when Soleimani was on the cover of American news magazines and had friends in America and around the world， and the time when he became more aggressive and less accurate， and the US killed him， is covered very quickly in the last 20 pages of the book。 His belief that soldiers are subordinate to their democracy and his personal courage are admirable throughout the book， his acceptance of shocking violence and heavy casualties are horrifying throughout the book。 A remarkable effort to produce a helpful and consistently balanced portrait of a difficult and often poorly sourced subject。 。。。more
Hadia
，
Just a string of glaring propaganda。 This great Commander defeated ISIS and saved the west from its own devilish creation of terrorist groups。 Read this book if you wish to be mentally colonized and enslaved by western falsehoods。 If you have no respect for your God-given intellect， devour this piece of pure falsification。None of your endeavors can disarray the august memory of General Soleimani。
Jostiniane
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Pure Mossad propaganda from somebody who have no idea what they're talking about Pure Mossad propaganda from somebody who have no idea what they're talking about 。。。more
Syria
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Garbage
Adamant Rdr
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The person who write this should be embarassed， and is a traitor to Iran and a stooge of Israel。
Johnny Boy
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Horribly biased trash
Goy
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Really inaccurate book that does not provide a true account of the Iranian general。 Pure lies。
Yaqoob
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What a waste of time。。。。The book doesn't offer new insight and the author engages in wild unsubstantiated facts。 What a waste of time。。。。The book doesn't offer new insight and the author engages in wild unsubstantiated facts。 。。。more
SNEED
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Unbearable trash， poorly researched， and extremely biased。 Reads straight out of some propaganda made up in Israel。 Iranian diaspora never fails to deliver on the utmost amounts of cringe。 This author should be scorned and laughed out of every room he ever enters。
Bernardo Kaiser
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I was very pleasantly surprised。 I expected a very by-the-book biography of Soleimani， but what I got was actually a great introduction to modern Iranian history and a comprehensive explanation to Iran’s post-revolutionary foreign policy and culture。Arash Azizi is very successful in describing the cultural background of Iran in many of its most central moments and really knows how to “set up a scene”。 While much of the information could be detailed further， it’s an excellent springboard if your I was very pleasantly surprised。 I expected a very by-the-book biography of Soleimani， but what I got was actually a great introduction to modern Iranian history and a comprehensive explanation to Iran’s post-revolutionary foreign policy and culture。Arash Azizi is very successful in describing the cultural background of Iran in many of its most central moments and really knows how to “set up a scene”。 While much of the information could be detailed further， it’s an excellent springboard if your knowledge of the modern Middle-Eastern conflicts is superficial。 。。。more
Alan Eyre
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Well-written; enjoyable。
Oscar Turner
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Unbelievably awful， I don't reccomend at all。 Very poorly written， very badly researched， does not stay on topic at all。 A huge waste of money。 If you're interested in Iran and its politics， I can personally recommend hundreds of other books instead of this。 Unbelievably awful， I don't reccomend at all。 Very poorly written， very badly researched， does not stay on topic at all。 A huge waste of money。 If you're interested in Iran and its politics， I can personally recommend hundreds of other books instead of this。 。。。more
Marek Minar
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Fantastically written， squezes in the facts about both soleimani and the Iranian revolution into a gripping story， must read for anybody interested in the subject。 :） Maybe there is just a hint of a "pro-western bias" but definitely not too much。 Fantastically written， squezes in the facts about both soleimani and the Iranian revolution into a gripping story， must read for anybody interested in the subject。 :） Maybe there is just a hint of a "pro-western bias" but definitely not too much。 。。。more
Tony O Neill
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I enjoyed this book very much， I found the first part of the book helpful as regards setting the political and historical scene of the area and of Iran。I sometimes did get lost in the many groups and personalities engaged with Quassem Soleimani but the book in my opinion shines a real light on this particular personality and his undoubted commitment to Shia Islam and Iran
Cambrone
，
A superficial take on Iranian shadowy general Qassem SoleimaniRecently I read Ronen Bergman’s Rise and Kill First and was impressed by the book’s depth and access to primary documentation and main players。 This book suffers in comparison。 It’s very superficial with little access to original material and players。 It has the depth of a newspaper article。 There’s very little information about Soleimani himself （not surprising considering that he was a shadowy figure）。 Needless to say that I was dis A superficial take on Iranian shadowy general Qassem SoleimaniRecently I read Ronen Bergman’s Rise and Kill First and was impressed by the book’s depth and access to primary documentation and main players。 This book suffers in comparison。 It’s very superficial with little access to original material and players。 It has the depth of a newspaper article。 There’s very little information about Soleimani himself （not surprising considering that he was a shadowy figure）。 Needless to say that I was disappointed by this book。 。。。more
Anastasia Iosseliani
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A very entertaining book with quite a few interesting facts such as how Karate came to Kerman。That was BTW one of the main reasons why I have read the book in the first place。I would appreciate to read more from the writer in the future。
Bonny
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Overall， a good book with lots of information not just about Qassem Soleimani， but the history and dynamics of the Middle East。 Unfortunately， it seems that the author is somewhat biased and leans more toward the accepted narrative of the West which he illustrates by providing his readers with events that had happened in the Middle East that have turned out to be fabrication， i。e。 Syrian forces chemical attacks that have been not true based on OPCW whistleblowers。Therefore， one needs to read thi Overall， a good book with lots of information not just about Qassem Soleimani， but the history and dynamics of the Middle East。 Unfortunately， it seems that the author is somewhat biased and leans more toward the accepted narrative of the West which he illustrates by providing his readers with events that had happened in the Middle East that have turned out to be fabrication， i。e。 Syrian forces chemical attacks that have been not true based on OPCW whistleblowers。Therefore， one needs to read this book with an open mind and extract the valuable information rather than believe everything word for word 。。。more
Jake
，
Is this a book about Soleimani or Iran？ Well， it's both。 As the author wrote early on in the book: Thousands made the （Iranian） revolution， but the revolution would come to make tens of millions （heavily paraphrased， perhaps incorrectly）。 Qasem Soleimani was not old enough to participate in the events of 1979 that led to the overthrow of the Shah and brought the Islamic revolution to fruition。 He lived far away in the Kurman province to a quiet family that belied his future global influence。 How Is this a book about Soleimani or Iran？ Well， it's both。 As the author wrote early on in the book: Thousands made the （Iranian） revolution， but the revolution would come to make tens of millions （heavily paraphrased， perhaps incorrectly）。 Qasem Soleimani was not old enough to participate in the events of 1979 that led to the overthrow of the Shah and brought the Islamic revolution to fruition。 He lived far away in the Kurman province to a quiet family that belied his future global influence。 However， he eventually joined the war effort against Hussein's Iraq in the 1980s and rose to prominence by his connections and his strategic mind on the battlefield。 The book hit a few slow points。 There were often diversions from Soleimani's life to discuss the events inside Iran and the greater Middle East in which Soleimani would influence。 There's discussion of the Lebanese Civil War， Iran's support of Hezbollah， Iranian influence operations in Gaza， Syria， Iraq， and Yemen。 In this way， it's not just the story of one man or even one nation， but the story of a region。 I understand why the background was necessary， but these segments felt a bit overlong at times。 Because of these slow points， I deducted one star。 The author brings interesting insights into the man whom most of the world came to know on January 3， 2020 after President Trump ordered his assassination on an airfield in Iraq。 Yet， I was more interested in the history of Soleimani rather than Iran's domestic situation and foreign policy。 However， creating a proper biography of an important， yet shadowy leader of a reclusive nation often proves difficult。 More will need to be written on him to understand his motivations and the legacy he left behind。Arash Azizi， a former BBC Persian correspondent， brings forth a perspective that is often lost in the US given the many Western authors whose works are published and given attention。 I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Soleimani， Iran， and the greater Middle East from the vantage point of Iran。 。。。more
Benjamin
，
It was okay。。。 It's an overview of Qassem Soleimani's life， from pre-revolutionary Iran to his death a few days into 2020。 Perhaps I was expecting more revelations regarding what he was up to in Syria， Iran， and Lebanon over the last 15 years。 Much of the information the author gave was already previously known。 It was okay。。。 It's an overview of Qassem Soleimani's life， from pre-revolutionary Iran to his death a few days into 2020。 Perhaps I was expecting more revelations regarding what he was up to in Syria， Iran， and Lebanon over the last 15 years。 Much of the information the author gave was already previously known。 。。。more
Bookworm
，
This is great book。 So gripping， A story of how a nation ruined its present and future。 A five-star book for me。
Mitra
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This is a breathtaking period of our time in Mediterranean area where the war has destroyed all lives， historic sites， and all aspects of civilization。 People who are still alive are immigrants around the world and who have stayed do not feel safe。Who take this fire garish？ This book is a light on the darkest corner of this war and who play a major roll to drive it forward。 Soleimani is a soldier of ideologic Iran who grow up in the war and lived for the war。Author gets a very professional view This is a breathtaking period of our time in Mediterranean area where the war has destroyed all lives， historic sites， and all aspects of civilization。 People who are still alive are immigrants around the world and who have stayed do not feel safe。Who take this fire garish？ This book is a light on the darkest corner of this war and who play a major roll to drive it forward。 Soleimani is a soldier of ideologic Iran who grow up in the war and lived for the war。Author gets a very professional view of his historian and his talent of storytelling to make this book one that you can stop reading when you start reading！ If you are interested to history and politics， you should read this book。 。。。more
Rachel Zhou
，
This is a book more about Iran than Soleimani。 Obviously you can’t separate the two all the time， but there are times when you must。 Here’s some food for thought:When Soleimani was killed， the first photo put out to the public was that of his severed hand with ring。 The claim was that we knew it was him from the ring。 Anyone in that circle knows that’s silly。 He could’ve given the same ring to someone else， or it could’ve been a body double wearing the same ring。 No。 The way we confirm death is This is a book more about Iran than Soleimani。 Obviously you can’t separate the two all the time， but there are times when you must。 Here’s some food for thought:When Soleimani was killed， the first photo put out to the public was that of his severed hand with ring。 The claim was that we knew it was him from the ring。 Anyone in that circle knows that’s silly。 He could’ve given the same ring to someone else， or it could’ve been a body double wearing the same ring。 No。 The way we confirm death is through DNA testing。 So then why put emphasis on “the ring？” I believe there’s a significance behind that ring， such that whoever put out the picture was trying to subtly hint at。 I also believe there are other people in the world with that same ring， and that they have something in common with Qassem Soleimani。 Let’s see how well the above statement ages as we get more declas^^If true， here’s what I want to know: was QS really born as a provincial nobody？ Did he really “start from the bottom？” If so， what did he have to really do to rise through the ranks？ To the point where he obtained that ring？ Did he go through the same initiation process as the others who also wore the same ring？ Who was he， or Khamanei， really working for？ I think fairly soon we will get some answers and a true， private， and devastating biography is due in the future。 。。。more
Brett Lubinski
，
An impressive feat to release the book less than a year after Soleimani's death。 The book goes into depth on Iranian history， culture and politics。 It also highlights the impact of Iran on regional and global level。 As someone who loves history， my knowledge of Iranian history- and the Middle East as a whole- was not up to par。 The Shadow Commander provided great insight into the Iranian world。 The authors knowledge and background provide great insights into Iranian society and make this a must An impressive feat to release the book less than a year after Soleimani's death。 The book goes into depth on Iranian history， culture and politics。 It also highlights the impact of Iran on regional and global level。 As someone who loves history， my knowledge of Iranian history- and the Middle East as a whole- was not up to par。 The Shadow Commander provided great insight into the Iranian world。 The authors knowledge and background provide great insights into Iranian society and make this a must read for those wishing to explore and learn more。 。。。more
Ilana
，
Today， as never before was such a need for intellectual clarity and extensive information about the main actors - political， military， other - in the Middle East。 Despite the abhorrent character and crimes perpetrated by some， it is important to know to whom belong those names that suddenly make it on the Breaking News。 The Shadow Commander。 Soleimani， the US and Iran´s Global Ambitions by Arash Azizi is a noteworthy and the first substantial research in English on the biography of the general Q Today， as never before was such a need for intellectual clarity and extensive information about the main actors - political， military， other - in the Middle East。 Despite the abhorrent character and crimes perpetrated by some， it is important to know to whom belong those names that suddenly make it on the Breaking News。 The Shadow Commander。 Soleimani， the US and Iran´s Global Ambitions by Arash Azizi is a noteworthy and the first substantial research in English on the biography of the general Qasem Soleimani， killed in an American drone attack at the beginning of this year near Baghdad International Airport。 A ´boy from the margins of the society´， a provincial karateka， his seamless raise on the top of the revolutionary Iran hierarchies and complicated intrigues occured during the Iran-Iraq war and further on， by leading various local operations in his native Kerman。 Since January 1988 he was appointed on the top of the Quds - from Arabic al-Quds， ´the Holy one´ referring to the city of Jerusalem - Force that he will lead until his death， turning it ´into the most ambitious expeditionary army in the history of the modern Middle East´。The soldier-diplomat Soleimani become feared and appreciated - depends on which side of the Sunni-Shia divide one´s stand - for his bloody attacks he perpetrated and the direct， sometimes spontaneous， involvement in various local battles。 His death was celebrated openly in Iraq and Syria where his survival victims were still having fresh memories of his attacks。 In Iran， a majestic set-up was ordered and display， soon after massive protests all over the country ended in a brutal crackdown。 Soon after， the authorities hit accidentally - but refused to acknowledged for a long time - an Ukrainian airplane killing the 176 passengers on board， mostly young people searching for a stable and brighter life in Canada。 Indeed， while busy to play bloody cards in Iraq， Syria and Yemen， what a big achievement of the Islamic Revolution and its proxies to be the cause of the massive brain drain in the country´s history！The current minister of Foreign Affairs， Javad Zarif， is portrayed - frequently and uncritically - as a fine diplomat， aimed to charm and sometimes charmed too， by a Western audience。 He may have been more than once in conflict with Soleimani but the fact that he played on his music and acquiesced to the placing of Quds ´diplomats´ that perpetrated or planned acts of terror using the diplomatic network doesn´t diminish his responsibility within the regime。 Although the book deals with complex Middle Eastern policies， it is written in a very captivating style， with political facts evolving sometimes with a cinematic alacrity。 The journalistic， non-pretentious yet informative style helps a lot to avoid information overload。 After all， Soleimani was not any kind of academic， but a person of action and this approach suits both the reader and the subject。Even for someone with basic to middle level of knowledge about local politics and Iranian ambitions， it was interesting to observe how Tehran in the post-Islamic Revolution realm ambitioned in turning into a Moscow of the Middle East。 The desperate internationalism with a pregnant Shia Islam outreach ended up by creating deep divisions within the fellow Muslim countries。 It also recalibrated dramatically the regional alliances until this very day: Once upon a time， countries like Turkey， Iran and Ethiopia were part of a larger policy of alliances endeavoured by Israel to counter the vocal - but often just for the sake of the cameras - Arab bloc。 Nowadays， it´s the other way round， as both Iran and Turkey are lead by personalised regimes endangering the fragile post-Cold War geopolitical balances。The damage in the region made by violent outtakes authored by Soleimani is hard to evaluate as for now。 In the case of the beloved ´Palestinian case´， Soleimani´s interposers played and still playing more or less consciously a game that does not serve a long term solution to the conflict。 Actually， it fuelled it by supporting radicalised actors whose only raison d´etre is a permanent state of conflict， otherwise they may be out of work。 ´The Quds Force might still claim that it was a ´´voice of the oppressed´´ but in practice it had become an instruments of Iran´s state-based foreign policy of extending Iranian influence in the Aran world and doing so through sectarian Shia proxies´。 Although I´ve found a bit forced more than once the comparisons between the left internationalist movements of the Cold War and the Shia-oriented one， when it comes to the Middle East， both Moscow and Tehran may be proud of playing their own dirty games in full disrespect of the free will of the everyday Palestinians。 Books like The Shadow Commander， on other main regional and Iranian players - no matter their despicability - aimed at an international audience are a very useful source of information for a different， realistic approach of a region that for the time being has the highest potential of ongoing frequent mentions on the Breaking News reports。Rating: 4。5 starsDisclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review 。。。more
Ayse
，