Preview of Whirlwind Summary:

W hirlwind tries to make sense of one of the most apparently senseless phenomena of recent times, the Iranian retreat from rationalism, prosperity, and modernity caused by the overthrow of the Shah. With the accession to power of the Ayatollah Khomeini, the country returned to stultifying religious fundamentalism, systematic denial of individual rights, and hopeless poverty. Why would a country return to the dark ages? Even more incredibly, why...