Power, Perception, and Politics in the Making of Iranian Grand Strategy

"By systematically applying different and complementary methods to analyze Iran's regime, Lim uncovers the successive dynamics that have propelled Iran's regime since the fall of the Shah with great precision, illuminating the present as much as the past. Very valuable."

-Edward N. Luttwak, Government strategic advisor and author of "Strategy: the Logic of War and Peace"

"Analytical discussion of the Islamic Republic's grand strategy is still in its infancy and while debate regarding the IRI's foreign policy is extensive few have made the conceptual link between the two as well as Kevjn Lim. In his new book he provides one of the richest analytical discussions of Iran's grand strategy - its origins, drivers, and results. One of the best books on contemporary Iran to date." -Anoushiravan Ehteshami, Professor of International Relations at Durham University and co-author (with Gawdat Bahgat) of Defending Iran:From Revolutionary Guards to Ballistic Missiles (Cambridge UP, 2021).

"'Power, perception and politics' significantly advances our understanding of the making of Iranian grand strategy since 1979. Kevjn Lim's important book presents a rich historical discussion of the Iranian presidencies and the effect of structural, ideational, and domestic forces on their grand strategic adjustments."

-Steven E. Lobell, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Utah This book explains changes to Iranian grand strategy over the past four decades, and it does so by advancing a multicausal model that unifies the three main paradigms of International Relations (IR) theory. Hence, ideas (constructivism) mediate between the structure of material capabilities (realism) and agents (liberalism) and interact with each to produce, respectively, threat perception and political preferences. Using these two explanatory factors, the author demonstrates how the Islamic Republic's grand strategy has systematically varied over time to produce a mix of outcomes that includes balancing, expansionism, bandwagoning, appeasement, engagement and retrenchment.

Beyond its theoretical contribution, this book is policy-relevant in that it explains - and predicts - the external conduct of what is arguably the Middle East's most consequential actor, with implications reverberating far beyond the region. Academic in conception and rigor, the book is intended not only for specialists and practitioners but appeals to the lay reader interested in the broader Middle East/West Asia, the region's relationship with major powers, and regional conflict dynamics.

Auteur

Dr. Kevjn Lim is Middle East and North Africa principal research analyst, and Iran country risk lead at S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Texte du rabat

This book explains changes to Iranian grand strategy over the past four decades, and it does so by advancing a multicausal model that unifies the three main paradigms of International Relations (IR) theory. Hence, ideas (constructivism) mediate between the structure of material capabilities (realism) and agents (liberalism) and interact with each to produce, respectively, threat perception and political preferences. Using these two explanatory factors, the author demonstrates how the Islamic Republic's grand strategy has systematically varied over time to produce a mix of outcomes that includes balancing, expansionism, bandwagoning, appeasement, engagement and retrenchment. Beyond its theoretical contribution, this book is policy-relevant in that it explains - and predicts - the external conduct of what is arguably the Middle East's most consequential actor, with implications reverberating far beyond the region. Academic in conception and rigor, the book is intended not only for specialists and practitioners but appeals to the lay reader interested in the broader Middle East/West Asia, the region's relationship with major powers, and regional conflict dynamics.

Contenu

Introduction: The riddle of Iran's external conduct.- Chapter One - Towards a dynamic-integrative model of grand strategic adjustments.- Chapter Two - The theoretical model in context.- Chapter Three - After the Big Bang: revolution, war, and elusive victories, 1979-88.- Chapter Four - Sobering up and adjusting course, 1989-91.- Chapter Five - More looming threats, 1991-97.- Chapter Six - Resurrected engagement, 1997-2001.- Chapter Seven - Ambiguous embrace, 2001-05.- Chapter Eight - Resurgent revisionism and the path to confrontation.- Chapter Nine - Precarious under pressure, 2009-13.- Chapter Ten - Averting one war, igniting another, 2013-17.- Conclusion: Iranian grand strategy between crusade and crisis.