Iran’s Foreign Policy: Toward a Constructivist Perspective

Abstract

This paper tries to analyze Iranian foreign policy based on Holistic Constructivism. The article argues that holistic constructivism is considered the most applicable theory for explaining Iranian foreign policy. This approach helps us to answer the question that why Iranian foreign policy toward the Western countries in general and the United States in particular, even when under systemic pressures, has remained relatively unchanged. Holistic constructivism links the two levels of analysis: domestic and systemic normative environment; and considers them to be two determinant factors that affect foreign policy of states. On this basis, the paper identifies the relevant domestic and systemic social norms affecting Iranian foreign policy since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The article argues that Iranian foreign policy is based more on its revolutionary and ideological values than the logic of nation states. To develop this argument, the model of ‘Self-Reinforcing Cycle of NormDriven Behavior’ is introduced.