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PSIR383 IRANIAN POLITICS AND FOREIGN POLICY

Course Objectives

This course aims to help students understand the internal dynamics of Iran’s social, economic and political settings, as well as, the interaction between these settings and its foreign policy. Most of Iran’s foreign policy concerns its relations with the US and Israel and revolves around the issue whether Iran should be a nuclear power. So, these topics will constitute most of the foreign politics part of the course. Among the other issues discussed in class are: the rise of religious politics and the consolidation of clerical rule, the nature and interaction between Iranian state institutions, civil-military relations, the Iranian economy, the domestic opposition and the prospects for democracy, the crisis in US-Iran relations, Iran’s relations with the West and neighboring countries, and Iranian society and the role of women in it.

Course Content

In the first section of the course the Iranian politics in the eve of the rise of the modern state in the aftermath of the Constitutional revolution of 1906. Then, the rise of the modern state and transition to modernity through socio-political and economic reforms during Reza Shah (1921-1941). Following the failure of the transition to democracy during 1941-1953 the rise of authoritarian-Bureaucratic state during the reign of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (1953-1978) will be analyzed. Finally, the Revolution and the politics of a radical fundamentalist state in Iran will be the main focus. In the ``foreign policy`` section, both Iranian foreign policy and the ``orientations`` and ``goals`` will be analyzed. Next, the context of Great Games and its aftermath in early twentieth century will be analyzed. Following the era of a search for the Third Force, Iranian foreign policy during the modernization period of Reza Shah (1921-1941) will be the main issue of the course. This will be followed by the Iranian Foreign Policy in the early years of Cold War. Then, the return to classic foreign policy orientation of ``Alliance and Coalition`` (1953-1979) will be discussed. Finally, the rise of Idealism in the Islamic foreign policy and regional and international challenges faced by Iran will be discussed.

Course Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course students are expected to have a better understanding of:

• the historical roots of Iran’s contemporary foreign policy;
• the relationship between religion and politics in Iran, and the current Iranian regime's worldview;
• the role that America has played to protect its "interests" in Iran and the region;
• the complexities of Iranian society and politics.
• the political, economic and social consequences of the Iranian revolution and the regime change, concerning both the position of Iran in international relations and its relationship to the USA and Europe.