The Islamic Republic of Iran. (c2010)

Abstract

The Iranian revolution has redrawn not only the nature of the state in Iran but also the political map in the M.E. The repercussions of the 1979 revolution within and outside the Islamic Republic are attributed to the ideology of the Islamic state as established by Khomeini. Consequently, to understand Iranian foreign policy, it is important to understand the impact of the ideological considerations for the Iranian regime. The thesis therefore presents Iranian foreign policy from an ideological, pragmatic and systematic perspective. These three political orientations, the thesis argues, have been constantly balanced and reorganized according to the changes in the regional and international stages. Accordingly, the thesis interprets the dynamic evolution of Iranian foreign policy from a historic and contemporary perspectives; touching on its Shiism and welayat-elfaqih ideological foundations. It also analyzes Iranian pragmatism toward neighboring countries and the U.S. following the demise of the Soviet power and U.S. encroachment on Iran's eastern and western borders through Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, the thesis examines the various political factions of the Iranian regime which shape Iran's policy making. The thesis concludes that Iranian foreign policy whether in regard to its nuclear program, its animosity towards Israel and the U.S. and its support of diverse transnational groups in the Middle East takes into account the ideological tenet particularly that of the faqih, which may not necessarily imply greater regional or international pragmatism.