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Since the 1979 revolution, Iranian leaders have persisted in advancing a foreign policy aimed at achieving regional prominence and, in particular, rebuffing U.S. efforts to limit Iran''s influence. But what are the drivers of Iran''s foreign policy in light of the country''s tumultuous history? How do the challenges posed by regional and global actors impact Iranian foreign policymaking? And how can we expect Iran to behave in the future? This book uses a ''strategic lens'' to explain how Iran conducts its current foreign policy and to unpack the dilemmas and strategic quandaries facing the Islamic Republic today. Ross Harrison argues that to understand Iranian behavior it is essential to look at it from the perspective of how Iran interprets its history, the region, the international community and itself; and the state''s capabilities and conception of time and territory. Iranian foreign policy - in searching for a winning strategy for power and influence - is revealed to evince ideological strains, but also realpolitik considerations based on current interpretations of the national interest. These different strains in Iran''s foreign policy represent the complexity of the challenges and opportunities the state faces. They also help us to understand the present and future of Iranian foreign policy behavior.
About the author
Ross Harrison is Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, USA and is on the faculty of the Department of Political Science in the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Previously he was Professor in the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His books include
Strategic Thinking in 3D: A Guide for National Security, Foreign Policy and Business Professionals (2013). He co-edited with Paul Salem,
From Chaos to Cooperation: Toward Regional Order in the Middle East (2017) and
Escaping the Conflict Trap: Toward Ending Civil Wars in the Middle East (2023)
. He has written numerous articles on Middle East Affairs in
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Parameters, and
Orient.
