The Foreign Policy of Iran Under the Nationalists

AUSTRAL: Brazilian Journal of Strategy & International Relations

Following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the subsequent formation of the Islamic Republic, the Islamization of Iran’s foreign policy has arguably become the newly established state’s primary agenda on the international arena. In accordance with Islamic thoughts on international relations, the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy was constructed on the concept of Islamic supra-nationalism - which places its emphasis on the unity of the global Muslim community (Ummah). Arguably, this supra-nationalist doctrine is incompatible with the current political world order which is based on the concept of the Westphalian nation-state. This incompatibility exists on three levels; firstly, Islam places its emphasis on ideological boundaries rather than political borders and therefore rejects the idea of nationalist states. Secondly, Islam denies current sources of legitimacy with regard to international laws and regulations, and finally, Islam calls for the elimination of cultural, ethnic and g...

2009

Iran 1400 Project, 2020

This article provides a concise survey of Iran’s foreign policy doctrines during the past 100 years. From foreign occupation to yearning for independence, from counterbalance of power during the Cold War to hyper Nationalism which followed it, from the “neither East, nor West” mentality to the “constructive interaction” narrative is all covered here in a chronological timeline. The effects of major wars, both regional and international, combined with the effects of key domestic movements on Iran’s foreign policy are also discussed here. The major themes of Isolationism, Idealism and Exceptionalism which run through Iran’s foreign policy are outlined here but with an eye on Iran’s geopolitical status and her role in the area of international political economy, particularly after the discovery of oil in Iran.

Clément Therme (2016) Iran’s Foreign Policy in the Post-Soviet Era, Resisting the New International Order; Iran in World Politics: The Question of the Islamic Republic; Iran and the International System, Iranian Studies, 49:3, 515-522, DOI: 10.1080/00210862.2016.1157924

All Azimuth, 2019

As one of the most significant actors of the region, Iran’s interactions with great powers (as well as regional powers and non-state actors) have come under scrutiny. This article adopts an historical account and suggests a framework to study Iran’s foreign policy. The framework is contextually built with a multilevel approach to specify the independent and intervening variables of Iran’s foreign policy through the light of neoclassical realist theory. In this context, it is argued that the independent variables of Iran’s foreign policy are geopolitics, threat perceptions and balance of power politics. These systemic variables are filtered through nationalism, theological and revolutionary ideology and policy making mechanisms.

Middle Eastern Studies, 2020

university of st andrews, iranian studies, st andrews, uK At the end of the First World War, Iran embarked on a programme of nationalism. The aim was to integrate Iran into the new postwar world order and assert a 'rightful' place in world diplomacy. To achieve this a commission was sent to the Peace of Paris in 1919 in order to propose a plan which asserted Iranian sovereignty and independence. This programme sought to end foreign intervention and to establish a path for Iran to develop in its own way. This programme also argued for the return of territory 'lost' since 1828 and the Treaty of Turkmanchai. It would be the first time such a massive plan of irredentism had been articulated. Many of the Iranian Commission's arguments can be sourced to Iran's engagement with the Imperial powers of Britain and Russia between 1828 and 1919, the emergence of the political community which came to the fore in the Constitutional Revolution (1906-1911), and Iran's reaction to the First World War and its immediate aftermath. In examining Iran's scheme, this article will concentrate on two specific topics: Iran's official presentation at the Peace of Paris which includes the memoirs and speeches of Mohammad Ali Foroughi, one of the delegates, and the unofficial yet important communications of Hasan Taqizadeh. It will examine the narrative of how Iran proposed to engage with modernity on its own terms against a background of irredentism and the promotion of sovereignty. This article will show that Iran's programme was energetic, used modern methods, and showed a distinct progression of nationalist thought. This article will build on the work of Oliver Bast whose detailed examination of Iran's approach to the Peace of Paris illuminated a period of diplomacy focused on internationalism and irredentism. 1 However, this article also questions the elevation of the role of the Prime Minister, Vosuq al-Dowleh in the pursuit of Iran's desiderata in Paris. 2 This article will show that Ahmad Shah was to have a pivotal role in Iran's political programme. While Iran's official diplomacy takes centre stage, other 'unofficial' diplomacy, particularly that of Hasan Taqizadeh will demonstrate that other voices outlining Iran's future existed. 3 Iran had engaged with the widespread 'Wilsonian moment' , 4 and, in fact, Hasan Taqizadeh had already articulated this concept in all but name. The seeds of Iranian nationalism began in the nineteenth century and included the loss of regional power and territory, the loss of independence, and increasing servitude to British and Russian interests. Despite these problems, Iran's idea of a homeland (vatan) and cultural identity survived and were carried over to the twentieth century. In the first decade of the twentieth century these beliefs in an Iranian identity were given expression by Iranian intellectuals educated in western concepts of nationalism. Moreover, Iran's helplessness during the First World War now made it vital to Iranian intellectuals and the growing wider political community that concepts of civic nationalism evident in the Constitutional Revolution needed to come to fruition. Principally, the modernisation of the state and state infrastructure, a modern educational system, and a modern transport system, were all deemed vital. Also vital was for Iran to emerge postwar as an independent and sovereign state. Iran's nationalist conception is difficult to characterise as either a continuing development of nationalism within the Qajar dynasty, or the beginning of what was to become the Pahlavi

ECSSR Perspectives, 2023

As an important actor in the Middle East, whose actions have a significant impact on regional and international relations, Iran's foreign and domestic policy has long been misunderstood, viewed through the prism of a set of theoretical assumptions on the nature of the regime. Iran's actions, both regionally and globally, are often interpreted as an outgrowth of its status as a theocratic state, with the clerical nature of the regime repeatedly returned to in the literature as the reference point for analysis of its strategic motivations. However, the country's contemporary history, specifically its political development, provides a far more nuanced understanding of Iran's current strategic perspectives. This type of analysis is all the more relevant amid recent shifts in the region's security architecture, as landmark agreements and diplomatic initiatives, led by Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, have laid the groundwork for new regional arrangements based on a form of managed competition with a more pragmatic Iran.

The Foreign Policy of a country can be defined as a set of goals that seek to outline how that country will interface at an official level with other countries of the world and, to a lesser extent, with non-state actors in pursuit of its national economic, political, social and cultural interests. There are several major factors that influence Iran"s foreign policy; these are domestic or external factors. Iran"s foreign policy, like that of any country, is influenced by a host of factors, which have domestic, regional and international dimensions. Iran has emerged as a new and assertively independent force in world politics, in Persian what are Iran" foreign policy factors. This paper provides the analysis of the domestic and external influence factors in Iran foreign policy.

All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace, 2019

Over the past four decades, there have been a variety of trends and developments in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Within a framework of basic principles and fundamentals, the various administrations have shown different tactical behaviors in their approach to foreign policy. Conversely, despite critical shifts and developments in the domestic, regional, and international stages, some behaviors have basically remained unchanged. Since the 1979 revolution, despite major changes in the dynamics of domestic politics, structural developments in neighboring regions (especially the Middle East), and a shift in the global balance of power, Iranian foreign policy priorities have proven considerably consistent. Several Iranian administrations, from former presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami to current President Hassan Rouhani, have sought different approaches, but they have failed to adapt a new vision;