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It has been the dominant view that both Syria in the 198Os and Iran in the 199Os acted as rogue states in the Middle East, threatening to upset the stability of the region. In this innovative study, Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Raymond Hinnebusch show that these two countries have in fact acted in a rational fashion, pursuing the aim of containing Western influence. This book demonstrates how Syrian foreign policy resembles the 'rational actor' model and how Iran's government factions are compatible with a pragmatic foreign policy. Syria and Iran's foreign policies are shown to be conventional ones, of 'realist' diplomacy with their pursuance of a balance of power and spheres of influence. Their alliance with each other is also closely examined and found to be defensive in nature. The objectives in Lebanon and in the Arab-Israeli conflict are found to be limited.
List of contents
1 Introduction 2 Middle East international relations: a conceptual framework 3 The foreign policy of Iran 4 The foreign policy of Syria 5 The Syrian-Iranian alliance and the struggle for the Middle East 6 The Shi’a and the struggle for Lebanon 7 Syria, Iran and the Arab-Israeli peace process 8 Conclusions: regional middle powers in a penetrated regional system
About the author
Anoush Ehteshami is Reader in International Relations at the University of Durham. Raymond A. Hinnebusch is Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies and International Relations at the University of St. Andrews.
Summary
It has been the dominant view that both Syria in the 1980s and Iran today have acted as rogue states in the Middle East threatening to upset the stability of the region. In this innovative new study, Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Raymond Hinnebusch show that these two countries have in fact acted in a rational fashion pursuing the aim of containing Western influence.
This book demonstrates how Syrian foreign policy resembles the "rational actor" model and Iran's rational factions in government guide its diplomacy. Syria and Iran's foreign policies are shown to be conventional ones, of "realist" diplomacy with their pursuance of a balance of power and spheres of influence. Their alliance with each other is also closely examined and found to be defensive in nature.
Syria and Iran illustrates how these two countries, and their alliance, forms an integral part of the balance of power in the Middle East. It is an exciting contribution to the study of the region, and its application of international relations concepts will be welcomed by those studying this area.
