Decoding Iran’s Foreign Policy: Strategic Interests, Power and Influence(Middle East Institute Policy Series)

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.

Table of Contents:
1.Preface 2.The Historical Present 3.The Global View 4.The Regional View 5.The Self View 6.Capability 7.The Strategic View 8.The Future 9.Conclusion

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.

Review :
An excellent portrait of the history and evolution of Iranian foreign policy. It is a realist account that demonstrates at each step how Iranian leaders responded to their environment, and how those actions served, or failed to serve, Iran’s national interests. It clearly delineates how Iran’s world view is shaped by its own history but also how it reacts to the circumstances of the moment. It outlines with great clarity Iran’s fundamental strategies, and considers how its strategic instincts may shape its response to future events. This is a book that calls out to be used in the classroom, since it presents a wealth of factual material without falling into the trap of bias and partisanship that taints so much of the contemporary literature on Iran. In his excellent new book, Ross Harrison zeros in on perhaps the most important issue regarding Iran: Can it be nudged into prioritizing diplomacy and “state-based integration into the global system” in the wake of Israeli-inflicted damage to its “Axis of Resistance”? Harrison’s book provides essential historical background to understand Iran’s choices and will be of great use to academics, policymakers and anyone with an interest in the future of this pivotal nation. Miracle-worker Ross Harrison has somehow made the incomprehensible comprehensible. In his words, he has “decoded” the seemingly unbreakable messages of Iran’s foreign policy. In so doing, he has applied a blend of scholarship, vision, and balance in a field too often dominated by emotions, wishful thinking, and personal biases. Ross Harrison has achieved a rare feat with this book: providing a window into the thinking of the Islamic Republic without lapsing into over-identification or apologia. It's the kind of analysis that is desperately needed in Washington — and rarely heeded. From historical trends to insightful glimpses into Iran's decision-making calculus since the Cold War, this book is full of sensitive, considered information that will enlighten even the most seasoned Iran watcher. Seeking to understand Iran’s foreign policy, Professor Harrison first expertly describes strategies from the Safavids to Khamenei. With Tehran’s militia and political proxies today in disarray, he then asks if Iran’s leaders can pursue a foreign policy which makes life better for the Iranian people and their neighbors.