Iran's Revolutionary Guards are one of the most important forces in the Middle East today. As the appointed defender of Iran's revolution, the Guards have evolved into a pillar of the Islamic Republic and the spearhead of its influence. Their sway has spread across the Middle East, where the Guards have overseen loyalist support to Bashar al-Assad in Syria and been a staunch backer in Iraq's war against ISIS. In spite of their prominence, the Guards remain poorly understood to outside observers. In Vanguard of the Imam , Afshon Ostovar has written the first comprehensive history of the organization. Situating the rise of the Guards in the larger contexts of Shiite Islam, modern Iranian history, and international politics, Ostovar account of the Guards' history since 1979 demystifies the organization. Politics, power, and religion collide in this story, wherein the Revolutionary Guards transform from a rag-tag militia established in the midst of revolutionary upheaval into a military and covert force with a global reach. As he shows, the Guards have been fundamental to the success of the Islamic revolution, and their symbiotic relationship with the clerical leadership has been fundamental to the regime's ability to retain power. They have also exported Iran's revolution beyond its borders, establishing client armies in their image and extending Iran's strategic footprint in the process. Ostovar tenaciously documents the Guards' transformation into a power player and explores why the group matters now more than ever in both the region and the wider world. 2016 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title " Vanguard of the Imam provides a worthy account of the IRGC from its inception to today. It is not only an institutional analysis of the IRGC but a historical and cultural assessment of post-revolutionary Iran that both provides insights on IRGC activities abroad and reviews Iranian policies toward the Middle East." -- The Middle East Journal " Vanguard of the Imam , shows how important leftist opposition elements were in the creation of the insurrectionary ideology that informs the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (the IRGC) to this day." -- Times Literary Supplement "Ostovar provides a careful history of the organization and its domestic and foreign exploits." -- Foreign Affairs " Vanguard of the Imam is the most up-to-date account of the IRGC's rise. [It] aids in understanding the battles that rage today in the Middle East." -- War on the Rocks " Vanguard of the Imam is a very insightful book on the Revolutionary Guards. With the help of hitherto unused sources, Ostovar has thrown light on new dimensions of the Revolutionary Guards and the Islamic Iran. With unmatchable scholarship, Ostovar has highlighted the Revolutionary Guards' role in Islamic nation-building in post Islamic Revolutionary Iran. It is a must-read book to understand Islamic Iran." -- The Washington Book Review "The best book yet written on the Islamic Revolutionary Republican Guard (IRGC)." -- Choice "Ostovar's must-read book is the first study of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that deals not only with their military and security dimension but also with the social and cultural history of the organization. It is a brilliant and unique achievement." -- Juan Cole, Director, Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Michigan "When at home or abroad, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the tip of Iran's revolutionary spear. Ostovar offers us a detailed, nuanced, and definitive guide." -- Daniel Byman, Senior Fellow, Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution "This is a book that will appeal both to scholars and students of contemporary Iran, and journalists and specialists, and to the literate wider public -- an excellent book that deserves to be widely read and pondered." -- Michael Axworthy, author of Revolutionary Iran Afshon Ostovar is an Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. He lives on the California Central Coast.