This chapter examines Iran’s ballistic missiles and space program. It provides a historical background to the program from the Shah’s initiatives to the present. Given that the Islamic Republic has been under a strict arms embargo for decades, the power of its air force in particular has deteriorated significantly. Iranian military leaders have invested military and human resources in building and developing strong missile and space capabilities to make up for this weakness. Initially, Tehran relied on foreign assistance, particularly from China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but it has developed significant indigenous capabilities since the 1980s. The chapter compares Iran’s extensive missile and space program with the leading militaries of the region, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

This second chapter of Part III looks at the composition of the Rahab account. Instead of understanding Rahab as the eponymous ancestor of an ancient clan (like Caleb and the Calebites), it demonstrates that we would be better served by interpreting her as a paradigmatic Other. Just as she came to be the prototypical proselyte for the rabbis, she figures in the biblical account as an archetypal outsider who successfully achieves membership among the people of Israel. Inasmuch as she is not associated with any one clan or community, this liminal figure from Canaanite society could serve as a safe proxy for outsiders in various times and places.