Iran's Revolutionary Guards are one of the most important forces in the Middle East today, but remain poorly understood to outside observers. In Vanguard of the Imam, Afshon Ostovar has written the first comprehensive history of the organization. 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.