سياست خارجي ايران از منظر رياليسم تهاجمي و تدافعي

Analyzing Iranʹs Foreign Policy by Offensive and Defensive Realism Theories

This article investigates the roots of Iranʹs rising role, its goals and strategies in the post-Iraqi crisis Middle East. The prevailing view in the West, especially in the U.S., is that the main goals of Iranʹs foreign policy are primarily ʹexpansionistʹ, aiming at increasing its ʹrelative powerʹ in the Middle East. I argue instead that these goals are rather ʹdefensiveʹ, intended to increase the countryʹs ʹrelative securityʹ. To examine this hypothesis, I apply the two theories of "offensive" and "defensive" realism in a careful study of Iranʹs regional policy. I also term the two main approaches of Iranʹs foreign policy as ʹaccommodating and adjustmentʹ policy and ʹalliance and coalitionʹ policy, attempting to explain that the aims of both approaches are to increase Iranʹs relative security and to remove the political-security threats in particular times of insecurity in Iranʹs immediate borders after the 2003 Iraq war. These threats are stemming from the US military presence on the one hand, and the recent geopolitical changes in the regionʹs transformation into a new political-security order on the other. The orientation of Iranʹs regional foreign policy is shaped by the two elements of ʹgeopoliticsʹ and ʹideologyʹ, which have increased Iranʹs regional role in post-war Iraq. I conclude that maintaining a balance between these two elements is a key to guaranteeing Iranʹs national interests and security.