Secret Notes From Iran-Nadim Siraj

Book: Secret Notes From Iran-Diary of an Undercover Journalist

Author: Nadim Siraj

Publisher: Platinum Press/ Leadstart Corp

Secret Notes from Iran is a first-person account of Iran by a Journalist who travelled through Iran, disguised as a tourist. The book brings out the picture of Iran, which is quite different from what the media leads us to believe. Grand markets, happy people and amazing hosts, Nadim Siraj tries to paint a picture of the society which is not very different from what we see in India.

Nadim travels through Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Persepolis, Bandar Abbas and many other locations. He intermingles with the local people and treats us to the people’s views of how Iran is moving ahead and what they think of the world’s views of their country. He shows us around the popular spots of Iran such as the Grand bazaar of Isfahan, Den of Spies and the graffiti present there, and other markets and monuments.

He takes us through the important events in the history of Iran, change of guard and its impact on the society. He takes up various issues and discusses in detail with reference to Iran and the global economy. He also addresses the elephant in the room-Oil and its impact on Iran and its foreign policy.

One interesting topic discussed in detail is the concept of Petrodollar and how it turned the wrath of the USA on the Middle east Countries.

Nadim has expertly tossed the coin and showed us the other side of the coin that the global media chooses to completely ignore.

The book also features interviews with 3 experts on Iran-Noam Chomsky, Masih Linejad & Vijay Parshad. These interviews are illuminating as Masih talks about women in Iran protesting against the mandatory headscarf and other women rights. The interview with Noam Chomsky talks about Petrodollar and the foreign policy of Iran. With Vijay Prashad, he shares a balanced and insightful take on the battle for Iran, the stance of external stakeholders and the fault lines within the country.

Secret Notes from Iran is a refreshing book on Geopolitics and helps in understanding the world politics in a good manner.

The Afterword of the book, “We don’t know that we don’t know” is really an eye opener and shows how our perception of the world changes our mindset and reactions.

Being a non-fiction book, I would prefer not to rate it. 

It should be on the TBR of any person trying to understand International Politics.