Under the Safavids, especially Shah Ismail I, Shi’ism became Iran’s state religion as a strategic decision helping distinguish Iran from its Sunni Ottoman and Uzbek rivals. Iran’s revolution resonated far beyond Shi‘ite circles because it appeared to achieve what Arab nationalism and communism often failed to do: overthrow a pro-Western regime and openly defy the US. In the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution, the Islamic Republic sought not just political autonomy but also what could be called a “cognitive sovereignty.” The Guards drew one crucial lesson from the war: Iran could not rely on conventional military power alone. The book provides a nuanced understanding of how historical trauma becomes embedded in statecraft itself.