Triumph and Despair: In Search of Iran's Islamic Republic - Hardcoverby Mehran Kamrava (Author) Triumph and Despair tells the dramatic story of post revolutionary Iran's first four decades, from its establishment in 1979 until today. The revolutionary coalition that overthrew the monarchy was at once democratic, populist and Islamic. The Islamists, and the Khomeinists in particular, were able to capitalize effectively on prevailing conditions on the ground; to frame the new republic's constitution, capture nascent