An analysis of one of the greatest foreign policy disasters.
Preface1Jimmy Carter and the tragedy of foreign policy12Locating the argument: a review of the existing literature213The origins of the crisis464The waiting game755Days of decision: the hostage rescue mission1056Hostages to history1447Some alternative explanations: non-analogical accounts of the Iran decision-making1668Conclusion202App. 1: Dramatis personae224App. 2: The major historical analogies used226Bibliography229Index242