Reflections of the continuity of Iran's strategic culture on construction and foundation of regional policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Document Type : Original Article from Result of Thesis

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student at Department of International Relations, Faculty of Theology, Law and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associated Prof. at International Relations Dep., Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran, and, Associate Member, Center for Iranian Studies, SOAS, University of London, Specialty: Human Rights

3 Full Professor for Department of Political Sciences, Faculty of Economic and Political Sciences.

4 Full Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran

Abstract

Strategic culture is often used in relation to factors that are closely related to the “Way of War” of countries but some analysts believe that strategic culture covers a wider range of issues. At a time when many analysts are talking about a chasm in the influence of factors of Iran’s strategic culture during the Islamic Republic, it is possible to see continuity too. The question is how Iran's strategic culture has influenced the construction of regional policy during the Islamic Republic? The final conclusion of discussion, by adopting a discourse and historical-comparative method and applying the theory of discourse analysis and constructivism, is that the discourse of the Islamic Republic led to a change in the Nodal Point of the ruling discourse in Iran, but at the same time, the effect of reproducing strategic culture factors along with three influential macro variables, it has led to the reproduction of the same policies towards countries and the regional system. From this perspective, the findings of this study indicate that a large number of Islamic Republic’s Regional Policies, rather than related to the type of the government in Iran, are influenced by the reproduction of factors of strategic culture like “The experience of being an empire”, “Historical loneliness”, “Being surrounded by enemies” and factors such these. In other words, their foundation is the reproduction of Iran's strategic culture but how they are used, have a close relationship with the Nodal Point of the ruling Discourse.

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References

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