Policy and options congressional research service 1 political history iran is a country of nearly 80 million people, located in the heart of the persian gulf region. What seems to distinguish todays revival of nationalism and secularism in iran is that it is not guided by specific intellectuals, but instead has become a national and widespread trend among different social groups at different levels. Global energy geopolitics and iran 183 the geopolitics of iranian oil geopolitics emphasises geographic factors as important determinants of government policies and one of the major determinants of the power position of states. The power structure of the islamic republic of iran. Pdf usiran relations in the postcold war geopolitical order. The saudis signaled back that there can be no normal relations while iran threatens them. Iran and iraq the washington institute for near east policy. Garver february 2016 professor and china expert john garver explores the high potential for a chinese iranian multidimensional partnership emerging from irans r eintegration into the. Policy and options congressional research service 2 the socalled hostage crisis that ended in january 1981 with the release of the hostages. Map of iran xvi i irans maze of power centers 1 1 introduction 2 2 formal and informal power structures in iran. About 11 percent of irans land surface is classified as arable. Characterising this rivalry in the purely sectarian terms of a deeprooted sunnishia enmity is simplistic and fails to understand the.
Pdf usiran relations in the postcold war geopolitical. An overview 6 3 ideological factions among irans leadership elite 11 4 the president 22 5 the supreme leader of the revolution 46 6 the constitutional assemblies 58 7 the revolutionary armed security forces 65. Despite trump rallying against iran, it seems as if the rise of a stronger and more powerful iran is all but inevitable. We have sent our apostles with veritable signs and brought down with them scriptures and the scales of justice, so that men might conduct themselves with fairness preamble. Occasional paper understanding irans role in the syrian. Saudi arabia, iran and the changing geopolitics of the middle east on 11th may 2015 news broke that king salman of saudi arabia would not be attending a much lauded summit with us president barak obama and other leaders of the gulf coc. This body of water connects iran to kazakhstan and russia. The geopolitics of iran john mauldins outside the box. Majliseshuraye islami national assembly of 290 members. From this standpoint, iran, like any nation, has a fundamental interest in maintaining its territorial integrity and its national sovereignty. It is unlikely to actually lead to a change in iranian. Iran does not want to see the emergence of a powerful, united iraq. The ideology of iran s 1979 islamic revolutionwhich ousted a secular, authoritarian leader and established a shia clericdominated regimestill infuses irans foreign policy. The united states was an ally of the late shah of iran, mohammad reza pahlavi the shah, who ruled from 1941 until his ouster in february 1979.
An emerging partnership postsanctions tions were only mandated by unilateral u. This book analyses the ways in which anthropology and culture in iran have interacted with iranian politics and society. An overview 6 3 ideological factions among iran s leadership elite 11 4 the president 22 5 the supreme leader of the revolution 46 6 the constitutional assemblies 58 7 the revolutionary armed security forces 65. From 1947 to 1953 iran tried to create its own economical and political path, showing a.
By then there was already unambiguous evidence indicating the urgency of defusing the imminent danger posed by iraq and its primary allies in the growing terrorist conspiracy. Can an iranian nuclear deal save obamas foreign policy legacy. The potential for radioactive fallout from the destruction of iran s nuclear facilities, combined with other forms of collateral damage, would likely create a humanitarian crisis of almost unprecedented proportions war on iran will not significantly set back iran s nuclear program. Oct 29, 2002 iran does not want to see the emergence of a powerful, united iraq. For more than a century, the russian empire and the soviet union posed the primary threat to iranian territorial. However, because i couldnt flag it for the reasons allowed, i just wanted to leave a couple of comments hoping that the copy would be fixed.
Iran reshapes the middle east geopolitical futures. The geopolitics of the iran nuclear deal the national. Iran is linked to kuwait, saudi arabia, bahrain, qatar, the united arab emirates and oman. Pdf strategies for development of iran cultural tourism. Irans geopolitical predicament and its consequences lobelog. Map of iran xvi i iran s maze of power centers 1 1 introduction 2 2 formal and informal power structures in iran. Iranian mining of the strait of hormuz plausibility and. Saudi arabia, iran and the changing geopolitics of the. On the general level, war can be an occasional outburst of a deeprooted historical conflict. Populism, a product of the revolution, helped ayatollah khomeini to rule iran for a decade with absolute power.
Syrias alliance with iran this is the fifth in a series of usipeace briefings on syria published by the institutes center for conflict analysis and prevention. Iran could achieve some substantial benefits from the fall or iraq. Its ambitions were put on hold in the late 1980s, at the end of an eightyear war with iraq that cost iran more than a million casualties. The safavid dynasty ruled iran until 1722, when an afghan army invaded the country and captured isfahan. Government is elected but from a special group of people related to the governance, governance claims to be elected but indeed not. For several years, iran has been at the center of international attention because of its suppression of individual rights, strict censorship policies, continuous attempts to enrich uranium, and 2009 elections resulting in mass protests, arrests, and even the murder of several protesters. Constitution of the islamic republic of iran in the name of god, the compassionate, the merciful.
Iran focused at its first priority, the safeguarding of its territorial integrity and concentrated on enhancing the alliance with britain and usa5. All candidates for the majlis must be approved by an islamic screening committee. George friedman to understand iran, you must begin by understanding how large it is. Iran has always seen itself as being in competition with the arab states for domination of the persian gulf. For several years after the revolution, iran attempted to export its revolution to.
Most analysts agree that closing the strait of hormuz would be attempted as an absolutely final resort for iran, where perhaps only preemptive strikes designed around regimechange or. Pdf the end of the cold war era coincided with the beginning of a shift irans foreign policy from the ideological to the pragmatic. Iranian schoolgirls wave their countrys flag at a rally on the anniversary of iran s islamic revolution. The destruction of iraq would make iran territorially secure for the first time in more than a century, so long as the united states does not develop territorial ambitions there as well. The geopolitics of the iran nuclear deal the national interest. Israel and saudi arabias interests converge and they will join forces to try to torpedo the iranian deal but both the obama and rouhani administrations have a vested interest in the success of the rapprochement. In those two things, it is correct it is definitely islamic, and yet it has all. This is the third in a series of monographs on the geopolitics of countries influential in world affairs. The united states and its partners must employ both intense pressure and intense engagement to set the terms for a new relationship with iran. Iranian attempts to wield influence, however, have often backfired, leading to a. To understand iran, you must begin by understanding how large it is. The origins of the iraniraq war efraim karsh xvar, like any social phenomenon, has both its general and specific causes. News, opinion and commentary regional focusarea studies shiah. Usiran relations in the postcold war geopolitical order.
Ever since the 1979 islamic revolution, iran has styled itself as the islamic republic of iran. Irans geopolitical predicament and its consequences. Recommendations for the next president alex vatanka mei policy focus 201617 middle east institute policy focus series july 2016 the next u. The geopolitics of irans refinery attack geopolitical. Mar 07, 2017 irans geopolitical predicament and its consequences. Religion and geopolitics in iranian foreign policy the. In 2012 and 20, chinas purchases fell 23 percent, constituting 11 percent of the total 46 percent fall in iranian oil sales during that period. Political structure from the economist intelligence unit official name islamic republic of iran legal system based on the constitution of 1979, which was amended in 1989 legislature. A country larger than western europe, the nations geopolitics is defined by its mountains. Prior to joining isw, harmer served for twenty years as a career officer in the u. Iran s core is located in the western zagros mountain range.
Eager to exploit an opportunity and regain access to. That means that its territory is larger than the combined territories of france, germany, the netherlands. When youre done, you can download your iran travel guide to your phone or tablet, or print it as a pdf. Iran and iraq by michael eisenstadt iran primer september, 2015 a long, porous border and extensive political, economic, religious and cultural ties provide iran the potential for significant influence in iraq. Iran, may 2008 3 in november 1979, students affiliated with the latter group occupied the u. A history of modern iran in a radical reappraisal of irans modern history, ervand abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discoveryofoil,imperialinterventions,theruleofthepahlavis,and,in 1979, revolution and the birth of the islamic republic. May 07, 2015 the geopolitics of the iran nuclear deal.
The iranian revolution past, present and future brought the safavids into direct conflict with the ottoman empire and led to two centuries of intermittent warfare between those two powerful states. A yemeni rebel group aligned with iran took credit for a drone attack against saudi arabias main oil refinery this weekend. The most productive agricultural land, bordering the caspian sea, makes up about 5. They have a firm lock onto iraq, syria and lebanon and it seems as if the world powers us, uk, eu etc. Politics of culture in iran politics of culture in iranis the first comprehensive study of modern anthropology within the context of iranian studies and politics in the twentieth century. The geopolitics and economics of the iran nuclear deal. At the end of world war ii, the soviet influence inside iran was really limited. Although much of iran is muslim, the countrys has many different ethnoreligious groups.
Publication date 1984 topics behistun, sasanians, ancient history, achaemenid, alexander the great, history publisher beckshe verlagsbuchhandlung. Library of congress federal research division country profile. Linking the middle east, the caucasus and central and south asia, iran has struggled to balance the benefits and risks of its geographic position. They want to force iran into a competitive, rather than cooperative, relationship with russia. The range, payload and accuracy of the attack, as well as the sophistication of the operation, suggest that the houthis had a lot of help from their patron nation. The geopolitics and economics of the iran nuclear deal new. Additionally, theyd like to see iran playing the role of sco homewrecker, as it plays china against india in major investments such as chabahar, the allimportant iranian port seen as a major prize by both beijing and delhi.
Saudi arabia and iran, as key power brokers in the middle east, continue to couch their bilateral relations in antagonistic terms as they chafe against each other in a battle for influence in the region. Irans core is located in the western zagros mountain range. Jan 04, 2016 the saudis signaled back that there can be no normal relations while iran threatens them. In the north, 675 kilometers of the caspian coast run through iranian territory. Iran has been a major geopolitical player since antiquity. Without the united states guaranteeing saudi security, iran is the most powerful state in the persian gulf, and they will call it what they like. This report will provide you with the foundation for understanding the countrys behavior. All you have to do is select the type of places youd like to include restaurants, museums, etc. Irans submarine force, which addresses recent industrial developments in iran that have increased the readiness and lethality of the iranian submarine force. It is, however, safe to say that future investigations will and must be fitted into the historical picture to the degree that they tie their results into the history of elam. In addition to the analysis provided by each months feature, origins will also include images, maps, graphs and other material to complement the essay. T h i s p a p e r e x a m i n e s r u s s i a s c e n t r a l a s i a n p o l i c y i n t h e c o n t e x t o f t h e c o n t i n u e d i r a n i a n a m e r i. In each issue of origins, an academic expert will analyze a particular current issue political, cultural, or social in a larger, deeper context. Commentary, text and context, reprint by iran times international washington, dc.
1303 289 124 39 661 200 575 300 126 633 1213 1274 1551 1300 536 1571 1557 274 300 980 52 461 1012 1041 1387 1213 1307 1035 1575 1114 964 795 1046 383 237 621 1224 1051 1312 760 1053 153 962 508 868 1178